How
it started
Sacandaga
Park is a cottage community on the banks of the Sacandaga River. Just
across the river is the Village of Northville. The Park started out
as a Methodist tent camp meeting in the mid 1800's. Once the railroad
came to Northville in 1875 (started as a local short-line and becoming
part of the FJ&G through bankruptcy in 1881) the tents were displaced
by a summer cottage community. The Adirondack Inn, a beautiful 4-story
Victorian lodge, was built in 1888; it was the first of four large lodges
that would accommodate thousands of visitors from as far away as New
York City and beyond. After a disastrous fire in 1898 that destroyed
all but five of the more than hundred cottages, the railroad saw opportunity
and invested in an enormous expansion. The park grew to as much as 700
acres. The cottages were re-built; beautiful rustic park grounds were
created with strolling paths, miniature lakes and picnic grounds; a
nine-hole golf course was built; a rustic theatre was nestled within
the natural backdrop of giant pine trees; a lagoon and a bandstand were
built near the Inn. Famous artists and entertainers including Houdini,
W.C. Fields and J.P. Sousa performed in the Theatre and the Inn. |
The
railroad then formed the Sacandaga Amusement Company. In 1901 it built
a huge midway, roller coaster, carousels and even a kinescope theatre
in a railroad car with genuine rocking motion and moving scenery. On a
large island in the middle of the Sacandaga River (Sport Island) it built
another picnic area, a baseball diamond with a grandstand and a miniature
train to transport visitors to and from the mainland over a bridge; the
bridge was removed during the usual Spring ice melt and flooding of the
river banks. Large open-air entertainment, balloon ascensions, boxing
matches and fireworks completed the entertainment scene. In 1901, the
300 acre High Rock Lodge resort was built just west of the Park, near
a giant boulder that gave the resort its name. Other hotels inside the
Park were the Pines Hotel (near the Midway) and the Orchard Inn (near
the Golf Course). J. Ledlie Hees, the president of the FJ&G, built
a summer mansion called Heeswijk just west of the golf course. President
Harding was an overnight guest at Heeswijk in 1920. The number of annual
summer visitors to the Park reached 90,000. |
How
it ended
Three
things combined to destroy the Park: fire, water and the coming of the
automotive age. The latter destroyed the monopoly position of the short-line
railroads and their amusement parks, starting in the early 1900's. Affordable
private transportation opened up a world of destination choices to citizens.
Fires were a constant threat; the buildings were only wood frame, the
roofs covered in pine needles and firefighting equipment was limited.
Sacandaga Park suffered 11 major fires. The grandstand and miniature
train burned in 1918 and were not replaced. Then came the water in 1930
- the intentional flooding of the Sacandaga River Valley by the State
of New York (the Hudson River River Regulating District or HRRD) for
the purpose of Hudson River flood control.
It permanently flooded the Midway, the Pines Hotel, Sport Island as
well as many cottages. The railroad fought the condemnation process
but lost in the end to powerful down-river manufacturers and their political
allies. The loss of most of the amusement venues and many cottages,
permanently transformed the Park; it became more of an upscale cottage
community complemented by the remaining resort assets.The flooding also
covered the tracks in Cranberry Creek, ending both Sacandaga Park and
Northville as railroad destinations. The Park Station saw continued
use for bus transport as well as a wide range of other commercial purposes.
The FJ&G railroad entered bankruptcy in 1938. The bankruptcy process
started the sale of the cottages and forced a take-over of the many
services that the railroad had provided to the cottage community, such
as water, sewer, electricity, garbage removal, road maintenance and
use of the Sacandaga Park beach. There were many legal loose ends. The
settlement between the HRRD and the FJ&G, as well as the interpretation
of various rights conveyed to cottage owners have led to litigation
and resentment that continues to this day. The cottages on Osborne Road
burned in 1939, followed by High Rock Lodge (1951); the Rustic Theatre
(1955); Heeswijk (1964); and on
September 8, 1975 the Adirondack Inn. The Orchard Inn was demolished
in 1965. The remainder of the 700 acre property was sold in 1952 to
Adirondack Properties which then parceled the assets out to various
private and commercial interests. There was a short-lasting revival
of the theatre in the 1960's, as the Sacandaga
Summer Theatre. The venture was a labor of love. It attracted famous
actors but suffered financial trouble from the start. The not-so-rustic
building was torn down ten years later with the final remains removed
in 2002. Here are
some other buildings that cannot be seen anymore! |