Tahawus, New York

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Tahawus (also called Adirondac (or Adirondak), McIntyre) was a village in the Town of Newcomb, Essex County, New York (USA). It is now a ghost town situated in Adirondack Park, with County Road 25 running past the north part of the town. Tahawus was the site of major mining and iron smelting operations in the 19th Century. Although standing as recently as 2005, the latest minining facilities have since been demolished and removed.

[edit] Overview

Construction being done on top of the old McIntyre Blast Furnace near Tahawus, New York as part of stabilization and brush cleaning for restoration of the structure (July 2007).

The iron deposits were first found in 1826 by Archibald McIntyre and David Henderson, and iron ore was extracted with moderate success between 1827 and 1857. In 1857, after a struggle, the Adirondack Iron Works (also known as the "Upper Works") surrendered to the remoteness of the wilderness and Adirondac became known as the "deserted village". Impurities of titanium dioxide were found in the iron ore, which made it difficult for equipment during that time to properly process the ore. Also, a localized flood and a nationwide economic crisis were factors in closure of the Upper Works. National Lead Industries reopened the mines along Sanford Lake in 1940, also known as the "Lower Works." This location was about a mile south of the original operation. A new community was established in 1943 for the mine workers which was called "Tahawus." By 1945, Tahawus had eighty-four buildings. Some of the buildings leftover at Adirondac were also used. Forty million tons of titanium were extracted at the National Lead Industries mines before operations ceased in 1989.

At least 10 buildings remain from the old mining village of Adirondac, as well as remnants of the McIntyre Blast Furnace (built 1854) during the original mining operation. New construction is currently being done on top of the furnace as of mid-2007 for purposes of stabilization and cleaning the structure, part of the Tahawus Tract project by the Open Space Institute who purchased the area in August 2003. Also, as part of a grant given for area cleanup and historic preservation, the old MacNaughton Cottage (built in 1845, one of the approximately ten remaining buildings) is currently undergoing restoration. This was the house that Vice President Theodore Roosevelt stayed in during his hike to Mount Marcy when he received news of President William McKinley being close to death after being shot in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901. No buildings are known to remain at the latter community of Tahawus along Sanford Lake, including the mines.

Tahawus is also the accepted aboriginal name for Mount Marcy, the highest peak in New York, located outside the town. However, the alleged meaning of the name --'cloud splitter' -- has not been traced to any known Indian language and may be a meaning coined by white visitors.