Our Legacy: 1876 – 2026

The Tahawus Club was born from the ruins of the Adirondack Iron Works. In 1876, a group of sportsmen leased the abandoned “Upper Works” hamlet, transforming a ghost town into a premier wilderness retreat.

For nearly 70 years, members lived in the village’s original mid-19th-century houses—including the 1834 MacNaughton Cottage—and served as the primary stewards of the land surrounding Mt. Marcy.

The Club’s place in American history was cemented in September 1901. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was vacationing with his family in the Adirondacks when he received word that President McKinley had been shot in Buffalo, NY.

It was from the MacNaughton Cottage at the Upper Works of the Tahawus Club that Roosevelt set off on his famous ride by carriage and train to Buffalo to be by McKinley’s side. McKinley unfortunately succumbed to his wounds shortly after Roosevelt’s departure from the Upper Works. It’s likely Roosevelt effectively became president while in Newcomb, NY – the Tahawus Club’s home today.

The modern chapter of the Tahawus Club was forged by necessity. During WWII, the federal government encountered a wartime need for ilmenite (titanium ore) found at the Upper Works. The National Lead Company exercised a buyout clause in the Club’s lease, requiring the membership to vacate the historic village. Undeterred, the Club relocated 10 miles south to the “Lower Works.”

By 1948, the membership had successfully established the 6,700-acre private preserve we enjoy today, preserving our community and traditions despite the loss of our original home.