The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, DE  19735

302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         Gilborn, Craig A.                                           

Title:               Adirondack research papers

Dates:             ca.1961-ca.2000, bulk 1980-2000

Call No.:         Col. 871

Acc. No.:        10x51, 15x24

Quantity:        32 boxes, 1 oversize folder

Location:        10 E 1-3, 10 D 1-2

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Craig A. Gilborn was the director of the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.  He graduated from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture in 1961 and worked at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and at Winterthur before moving to New York.  He has written several books, most focusing on the Adirondacks, particularly its camps and the rustic furniture made for them.  Titles include Durant: The Fortunes and Woodland Camps of a Family in the Adirondacks, Adirondack Furniture and the Rustic Tradition, and Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Home, 1850-1950.  His wife Alice (Wolf) Gilborn is also an author.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

Research notes, photographs, and negatives pertaining to Gilborn’s interests in Adirondack camps and rustic furniture, particularly that made and used in the Adirondacks, and in the rustic tradition in architecture and the decorative arts throughout history.  Gilborn was interested not only in the Great Camps, those large establishments which belonged to the wealthy, but also in the more ordinary, modest camps which belonged to or were frequented by average people seeking a rural vacation spot.  His interest in rustic furniture focused not only on older, antique pieces and the makers of those pieces, but also on the workers who in the late 20th century were continuing the rustic tradition.  He gathered biographical information and photographs of these workers, their workshops, and their outputs.  Included with Gilborn’s notes are a few 19th century stereographs and early 20th century postcards, but most of the photos are from the late 20th century. 

 

As well, the collection includes some of Gilborn’s notes and research accumulated while a student in the Winterthur program, and some notes about the shape of Coca-Cola bottles, together with 13 empty bottles.  He used these to develop a teaching project.  Also included is biographical information about Robert Bruce Inverarity, who, among his many activities, was first director of the Adirondack Museum.

 

           

ORGANIZATION

 

The papers are in three series: I. Adirondack and rustic decoration; II. photographs and videotapes (almost exclusively pertaining to Adirondack camps and rustic decoration); and III. other materials. 

 

 

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

Collection is open to the public.  Copyright restrictions may apply.

           

 

PROVENANCE

           

Both accessions: gift of Craig A. Gilborn, in memory of Charles F. and Florence Montgomery, and Charles Montgomery, Jr.

 

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

People:

            Inverarity, Robert Bruce, 1909-1999

Durrant family.

 

Topics:

            Coca-Cola Company - Collectibles.

            Winterthur Program in Early American Culture.

            World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition (1884-1885 : New Orleans, La.)

            Country furniture – New York (State).

            Decoration and ornament, Rustic – New York (State).

            Furniture – New York (State).

            Furniture workers – 20th century.

            Furniture workers – New York (State).

            Log cabins - New York (State) - Adirondack Mountains.

            Museum directors - New York (State).

            Workshops – Photographs.

            Adirondack Mountains (N.Y.)

Central Park (New York, N.Y.) – Pictorial works.

 

            Stereographs.

            Postcards.

                        Video tapes.

                        DVDs.

                       

 

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 10 E 1-3, 10 D 1-2

 

 

Series I: Adirondack files

 

Box 1: Rustic Tradition

 

Folder 1:          18th century

 

Folder 2:          19th century

 

Folder 3:          19th century: Adirondacks

 

Folder 4:          19th century: architecture: cabins, rural homes, do-it-yourself, camps, etc. (Europe and America)

 

Folders 5-6:     20th century

 

Folder 7:          Adirondacks: articles

 

 

Box 2: Rustic Tradition

 

Folder 1:          Architecture: articles

 

Folder 2:          Architecture: catalogs and advertisements

 

Folder 3:          Architecture: “surprise dens”

 

Folder 4:          Architecture: Switzerland and Scandinavia: articles

 

Folders 5-6:     background: photos and slides

 

Folder 7:          Bibliography

 

Folder 8:          Cemeteries

 

Folder 9:          Central Park (New York City) – includes stereograph of Rustic Arbor, 1894

 

 

Box 3: Rustic Tradition

 

Folder 1:          China and Japan

 

Folder 2:          Civil War

           

Folder 3:          Classical world, Renaissance

 

Folder 4:          Craftsman magazine articles on log cabins and rustic furniture

 

Folder 5:          A. J. Davis, A. J. Downing, and F. L. Olmsted

 

Folder 6:          Europe: illustrations   

 

Folder 7:          Furniture: Adirondack chairs

 

Folder 8:          Furniture: Adirondack miscellaneous: photos

 

Folder 9:          Furniture: Articles and bibliography

 

Folder 10:        Furniture: Arts and Crafts and Mission styles

 

Folder 11:        Furniture: Bentwood

 

 

Box 4: Rustic Tradition

 

Folder 1:          Furniture: Bentwood style: photos

 

Folder 2:          Furniture: Cast Iron

 

Folder 3:          Furniture: catalogs and advertisements

 

Folder 4:          Furniture: garden and park furniture, English-style, modern

 

Folder 5:          Furniture: hickory furniture: Old Hickory Furniture Co. and Hickory Furniture Works

 

Folders 6-7:     Furniture: hickory furniture: Indiana Hickory, Old Hickory Furniture Co.: photos

 

Folder 8:          Furniture: Horn furniture

 

Folder 9:          Furniture: miscellaneous photos

 

 

Box 5: Rustic Tradition

 

Folder 1:          Furniture: Mosaic twig (text and photos)

 

Folder 2:          Furniture: Mottville chairs

 

Folder 3:          Furniture: pedestal tables, bird cage, root: photos

 

Folder 4:          Furniture: stick: photos

 

Folder 5:          Furniture: vernacular, American Indian, ramshackle

 

Folder 6:          Furniture: Westport chairs (also includes slides of Adirondack chairs)

 

Folder 7:          Furniture makers: Frank Alger, Joseph Asher, Brooklyn Chair Co., Chris. Brown

 

Folder 8:          Furniture makers: Joseph Bryere

 

 

Box 6: Rustic Tradition

           

Folder 1:          Furniture makers: Bunnell, Fred Burke, Reuben Cary, John Champney, H. C. Dexter Chair Co., Andrew Fisher, Frank Fortin

 

Folder 2:          Furniture makers: Lee Fountain

 

Folder 3:          Furniture makers: John Gerster, John Hanchett, Horace Inman, Billie Jones, Schuyler Kathan, Keene Valley Industries, Benj. A. Muncil, Elmer Patterson, Seth Pierce

 

Folder 4:          Furniture makers: John Plumley, Earl Rector, Charles Rohlfs, D. Savage, Perry Sleeper, O. L. Snyder, Frank Sperry, George Starks

 

Folder 5:          Furniture makers: Ernest Stowe

 

Folder 6:          Furniture makers: E. E. Sumner, D. Swan and Henry Swan, Walter Turner, Charles Vandenberg, Westcott, George Wilson, Will Young

 

Folder 7:          Gardens and parks

 

Folder 8:          Grottoes

 

 

Box 7: Rustic Tradition

 

Folder 1:          Illustrations (mostly photocopies): Adirondacks

 

Folder 2:          manufacturers of rustic work, 19th century

 

Folder 3:          Miscellaneous articles, 19th and early 20th centuries, includes stereograph of Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, N.Y.

 

Folder 4:          “National Park Service Rustic Architecture, 1916-1942,” by Tweed, Soulliere, & Law, with postcards

 

Folder 5:          Native American influences

 

Folder 6:          Naturalists and philosophers

 

Folder 7:          New York: Mohonk Mountain House and Saratoga Springs

 

Folder 8:          Rustic Carpentry (1907): photos of book illustrations

 

Folder 9:          “The Rustic Use of Wood in Adirondack Camp Architecture, 1875-1929,” by Fiore and Jacob

 

Folder 10:        Trade catalogs, 19th century (copies)

Folder 11:        Tree houses

 

 

Box 8: Rustic Tradition; Rustic Modern

 

Folder 1:          Rustic tradition: United States: illustrations, includes stereograph of entrance to garden at World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, 1884-1885, in New Orleans

 

Folder 2:          Rustic tradition: Weidenmann, Jacob: landscape architect

 

Folder 3:          Rustic modern: book concept and notes

 

Folder 4:          Rustic modern: catalogs

 

Folder 5:          Rustic modern: correspondence, articles, etc.

 

Folder 6:          Rustic modern: “Forever Wild”: essays on the Adirondacks and information about furniture makers

 

Folder 7:          Rustic modern: furniture

 

Folder 8:          Rustic modern: house plans (rough sketches)

 

 

Box 9: Rustic Modern

 

Folder 1:          Negatives: houses, furniture, rustic workers

                        (prints in separate box; not all negatives have a print)

 

Folder 2:          notebooks 1, 2, 3

 

Folder 3:          Rustic workers: lists, business cards  

 

Folder 4:          Rustic workers: B-J  [see also folder 6]

                        (Bauer, Becker, Brady, Bright, Chamberlain, Couture, Davis, Duffy, Farleigh, Greene, Hall, Harwell, Hawkins, Hay, Hayes, Hays, Heller, Hesseltine, Heuler, Himmen, Jacques)

 

Folder 5:          Rustic workers: M-W  [see also folders 1-2 in next box]

                        (Mack, Mackey(?), Mahoney, Mark, McConnell (Brant Lake Chair Co.), Mills, Porter, Pryor, Quinn, Raben(?), Rosenbarker, Ruaff(?), Sandborn, Schintzius, Schwertz, Sharrock, A. Smith, Bill Smith, J.L. Smith, Sparks, Turnbull, Vana, Van Hazinga, Vincent, Vipon, Voorhees, Waller, Wesiberg, Willsboro Wood Products)

           

Folder 6:          Rustic workers: A-G  [see also folder 4 above]

                        (Jean Armstrong, Bart Bailey, Barney Bellinger, Bertucci & Farrell, M. Cherry, Jay Dawson, Flynn-Devereux, Eric Gelsmann, Barry Gregson, Bruce Gunderson)

 

 

Box 10: Rustic Modern

 

Folder 1:          Rustic modern: Rustic workers: H-O  [see also previous box]

                        (Ken Heitz, Karl Henck, James Howard, Stuart Johnstone, Jack Leadley, John McEntee, Nick Nickerson, Raymond Overholser)

 

Folder 2:          Rustic modern: Rustic workers: P-S  [see also previous box]

                        (Thos. Phillips, David Robinson, Dennis Smith, Jamie Sutliff)

 

Folder 3:          Rustic modern: Rustic workers: questionnaire and possible book

 

Folder 4:          Rustic modern: Shows

 

 

Box 11: Adirondack Camps

 

Folder 1:         Adirondacks: 19th century articles and stories

 

Folder 2:          Adirondacks: churches and chapels

 

Folder 3:          Adirondacks: clubs and preserves

 

Folder 4:          Camps: Architects and planners: slides

 

Folder 5:          Camps: Architects: Coulter, William L.

 

Folder 6:          Camps: Architects: Distin, William G.

 

Folder 7:          Camps: Architects: Robert H. Robertson; Augustus D. Shepard; Wareham/Delair; Max Westhoff; William S. Wicks

 

Folder 8:          Camps: compilation of articles, August 1992

 

Folder 9:          Camps: Great Camps of Adirondacks tour, Preservation League of New York State, 1992

 

Folder 10:        Camps: guides and miscellaneous workers

 

Folder 11:        Camps: houseboats and floating camps

 

Folder 12:        Camps: newsletters

 

Folder 13:        Camps: notes of interviews, research, etc.

 

 

Box 12: Adirondack Camps

 

Folder 1:          Camps: “Summer Architecture in the Adirondacks,” by R. Longstreth

 

Folder 2:          Camps: tents

 

Folder 3:          Camps: unknown [chiefly photos]

 

Folder 4:          Camps: Vanderbilt genealogy

 

Folder 5:          Camps: Vernacular: cabins, shanties, lean-tos [chiefly photos]

 

Folder 6:          Camps by district: Cranberry Lake

                        (Buck Island Camp, Hotel Childwold, Rock Shanty, Sliding Rock Falls, Sanderson Lodge)

 

Folder 7:          Camps by district: Fulton Chain camps (Eighth Lake west to Brantingham Lake)

                        (Camp Meenahga, Camp Paownyc, Pontiac Inn)

 

Folder 8:          Camps by district: High Peaks: Keene Valley, Willsboro, Au Sable Forks

                        (Adirondack Lodge, Adirondack Mountain Preserve, Samuel Adsit Cabin, The Cliffs, Graves Mansion, Horace Learned Camp, Camp Lone Pine, Putnam Camp)

 

Folder 9:          Camps by district: High Peaks: Lake Placid

                        (Camp Cavendish, Humdinger Hill, Camp Owaissa, Norton cottage, Lake Placid Club, Last Chance Ranch, Castle Rustico, Camp Joyland)

 

Folder 10:        Camps by district: Lake Champlain: Crater Club

 

Folder 11:        Camps by district: Lake George

                        (Sagamore Hotel, Fort Ticonderoga Pavilion, Horicon Pavilion, Knapp estate, Lake George House, Lakeside Inn, Silver Bay)

 

Folder 12:        Camps by district: Malone district

                        (Fenton House, Sneed Creek fish camp, Camp Debar, High Falls camp, Camp Sage)

 

 

Box 13: Adirondack Camps

 

Folder 1:          Camps by district: North Creek district (see also folder 2)

                        (Caughawauga Club, Demarest camp, W. L. Clarkson log house, Elk Lake Lodge, Goodnough Mountain Cabin, Camp Santanoni, Tahawus Club, Spaulding camp, Hukweem)

 

Folder 2:          Camps by district: North Creek district (see also folder 1)

                        (Mossy Camp, North Woods Club, Tip Top, Camp Ziegler)

 

Folder 3:          Camps by district: Saranacs (see also folder 4)

                        (Blagden camp/Saranac Inn, W. C. Floyd Jones camp, Henry Goldman camp, Edmund Guggenheim camp, Otto Kahn camp, Knollwood club, Adolph Lewisohn camp, Levi P. Morton camp/Eagle Island camp)

 

Folder 4:          Camps by district: Saranacs (see also folder 3)         

                        (Camp Pinebrook, Saranac Inn, Saranac Lake Village, Henry Smith camp, Wawbeek Inn, J. S. Bache camp/Wenonah Lodge, Camp Wildwood, William A. Rockefeller camp, Camp Windmere)

 

Folder 5:          Camps by district: Speculator district

                        (Fish House and Mount Joy, Old Riley Tavern, Sacandaga Park)

 

Folder 6:          Camps by district: St. Regis Lake and Osgood Pond (see also next box)

                        (Bay Pond camp, Paul Smith’s Hotel, St. Regis/Spitfire Lakes, Birch Island camp, Robert Garrett camp, Longwood, Camp Topridge)

 

 

Box 14: Adirondack Camps

 

Folder 1:          Camps by district: St. Regis Lake and Osgood Pond (see also previous box)

                        (White Pine Camp, Camp Wildair, Camp Woodmere)

 

Folder 2:          Camps by district: Tupper Lake district

                        (Ampersand Lake, Tarnedge, Follensby, Kildare Club, Litchfield Park, Nehasane, Read Camp, Camp Carolina)

 

Folder 3:          Camps by district: Old Forge district (see also folder 4)

                        (Berkeley Lodge, Burdick’s camp, Covewood Lodge, Camp Crag, Dart’s Hotel, DeCamp, Forest Lodge, Higby camp, Hollywood Hills Hotel, Lake View Lodge, Moosehead Hotel, Charles E. Snyder cottages, Wilderness Park, Camp Wildwood)

 

Folder 4:          Camps by district: Old Forge district: Adirondack League Club lodges (see also folder 3)

                        (Bisby Lake Lodge, Honnedaga Lake Lodge, Little Moose Lodge, Wicks camp)

 

Folder 5:          Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake (see also next box)

                        (Adirondack Museum, Aluminum Pond camp, Camp Stott, Carnegie camp, Camp Cedarlands, Camp Cedars, Crane Point Lodge/Care Naught Lodge, Daly-Baekeland camp, Deerlands, Eagle Nest)

 

 

Box 15: Adirondack Camps

 

Folder 1:          Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake (see also previous box and rest of this box)

                        (Camp Seven Pines, Endion, Camp Fairview, Fowler camp, Gardner-Ottoway camp, The Hedges, Kilcorawah/Heyer-Warner camp, Walter Hochschild camp, Camp Hoff)

 

Folder 2:          Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake (see also previous box and rest of this box)

                        (Camp Inman, Kwenogamac/Gerster, Laprarie House, Little Forked Lake camp, Loch Haven, Camp Lynx, Merwin’s Blue Mountain House)

 

Folder 3:          Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake (see also previous box and rest of this box)

                        (Minnewawa, Camp Minnowbrook, Camp Omonson, Camp Oteetiwi, Ottoway-Courtney camp, Prospect House/Hotel Utowana, Racquette lake hotels)

 

Folder 4:          Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake (see also previous box and rest of this box)

                        (Sagamore Lodge, Stearn/Buchman camp, Thacher Island camp, Camp Togus, R. P. Tubby camp, Twin Tower camps, Camp Uncas, George Wheelan cottage, Windy Barn/Storrs camp)

 

Folder 5:          Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake: Camp Pine Knot

                        (see also next box)

 

 

Box 16: Adirondack Camps; Durant camps

 

Folder 1:          Adirondack Camps: Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake: Camp Pine Knot: photos             (see also previous box)

 

Folder 2:          Adirondack Camps: Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake: Brandreth Park camps

 

Folder 3:          Adirondack Camps: Camps by district: Racquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake: Kamp Kill Kare

 

Folders 4-5:     Durant camps: Rose v. Durant, 1901 (copy)

 

Folder 6:          Durant camps: Ella (play by Gilborn): desk copy, corrections

 

Folder 7:          Durant camps: Ella (play by Gilborn): 1992 version

 

 

Box 17: Durant camps

 

Folder 1:          Poppensiek, Neil: correspondence

 

Folder 2:          Poppensiek, Neil: comments on Durant papers, cassette tape (have tape 2 of 2 only)

 

Folders 3-4:     Objects in Adirondack Museum

 

Folder 5:          Slides: camps

 

Folder 6:          Slides: Durant family

 

Folder 7:          Camps, furniture: photos and negatives

 

Folder 8:          Family photos (mostly, some used in book)

 

Folder 9:          Furniture, mostly for Camp Pine Knot: photos


Series II: Photographs, Videotapes, DVD

 

Box 1: Photographs

 

Folder 1:          Adirondack Museum: exhibits and furniture, 1975-1986

 

Folder 2:          Camps

 

Folder 3:          Camps and miscellaneous

 

Folder 4:          Camps: Elk Lake and furniture

 

Folders 5-6:     Camps: Kamp Kill Kare

 

 

Box 2: Photographs

 

Folder 1:          Camps: in chronological order, June-October 1973

                        [see index in front of this folder]

 

Folder 2:          Camps: in chronological order, Nov. 1973-July 1, 1974

                        [see index in front of folder 1]

 

Folder 3:          Camps: in chronological order, July 2, 1974-Sept. 1974

                        [see index in front of folder 1]

 

Folder 4:          Camps: in chronological order, Oct. 1, 1974-August 1975

                        [see index in front of folder 1]

 

Folder 5:          Camps: in chronological order, Sept. 1975-July 1977

                        [see index in front of folder 1]

 

 

Box 3: Photographs

 

Folder 1:          Camps: in chronological order, Aug. 1977-January 1983

                        [see index in front of this folder]

 

Folder 2:          Camps: in chronological order, July 1983-1988

                        [see index in front of folder 1]

 

Folder 3:          Camps: in chronological order, 1998, negatives only (prints in box 8)

                        [see index in front of folder 1]

 

Folder 4:          Cartoons

 

Folder 5:          Halverson, Karen: transparencies of flora

 

Folder 6:          miscellaneous people

 

Folder 7:          Nichols, Clarence

 

Folder 8:          photos for Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Homes, introduction and p. 1-74

 

Folder 9:          photos for Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Homes, p. 75-132

 

 

Box 4: Photographs

 

Folder 1:          photos for Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Homes, p. 133-176

 

Folder 2:          photos for Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Homes, p. 177-213

 

Folder 3:          photos for Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Homes, p. 216-248

           

Folder 4:          photos for Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Homes, p. 251-296

 

Folder 5:          photos for Adirondack Camps: Homes Away from Homes, dust jacket, slides, house plan

 

 

Box 5: photos for Adirondack Furniture and the Rustic Tradition

 

Folder 1:          list of illustrations

 

Figures 1-99, each in separate folder, a few of which are empty      

 

 

Box 6: photos for Adirondack Furniture and the Rustic Tradition

 

Figures 100-196, each in separate folder, of which fig. 190 is empty

 

 

Box 7: photos for Adirondack Furniture and the Rustic Tradition

 

Figures 197-307, each in separate folder

 

 

Box 8: Photographs

 

Color prints of camps, taken in 1998 (negatives in Box 3)

 

 

Box 9: Photographs

 

Color prints of houses and rustic workers

Transparencies, mostly for plates in Adirondack Furniture and the Rustic Tradition

 

 

Box 10: Photographs (slides)

 

Slides for plates in Adirondack Furniture and the Rustic Tradition

Slides of flowers and trees

 

 

Box 11: Photographs (slides)

 

Slides of furniture and makers, alphabetical by makers’ names

 

 

Box 12: videotapes, DVD, CDs

 

“Adirondack Great Camps: Part One” Durant and Raquette Lake”;

Fairfield Exchange: Interview with Craig Gilbon, re: book Adirondack Furniture,” 1987;

Interview with Gilborn about Great Camps, spring 1989;

“Sunday Morning: Castle of Wood,” Sept. 14, 1997 – on videotape and DVD (Gilborn arranged for the filming of this story)

 

CD: photos of Adirondack and rustic furniture: copies of slides and black and white negatives;

CD: photos of Adirondack camps or preserves: copies of slides and black and white negatives

 

 

Oversize folder (on shelf):

 

Interior and exterior views of camps


Series III: Other papers

 

Box 1: Winterthur program

 

Folders 1-2:     Exhibitions notebook

 

Folders 3-4:     “Museum Exhibitions: A Selected Bibliography,” notebook

 

Folder 5:          “Museum Exhibitions: A Selected Bibliography of Recent Writings” and articles

 

Folder 6:          Philadelphia’s Coming of Age”: slides and text

 

 

Box 2: Robert Bruce Inverarity; Coca-Cola bottle study

 

Folder 1:          Inverarity, Robert Bruce: biographical information  (acc. 15x24)

 

Folders 2-3:     Coca-Cola bottle study

 

Folder 4:          Coca-Cola bottle study: photos

 

 

Box 3: Coca-Cola bottle study

 

13 Coca-Cola bottles