Putnam Camp
Why it's listed
Putnam Camp is a group of farm buildings and rustic cabins set beneath Giant Mountain in Saint Huberts, in the Keene Valley of New York's Adirondack High Peaks. The core is the Beede farmstead, established around 1850 and bought in the mid-1870s by members of the Bowditch, Putnam and James families of Boston. The 218-acre site is divided into Lower Camp and Upper Camp, arranged around an old logging road and a sloping meadow. The oldest buildings are the timber-framed farmhouse and barn, which later became a woodshop. Most other structures are simple frame cabins with board-and-batten siding, log posts and twig trim, built between the 1870s and 1905. They include the Shanty, the open-air Stoop, the Bungalow and the Ark. Eleven buildings and one structure contribute to the district. The camp was used by a circle of Boston physicians and academics, among them William James, Henry Bowditch and the Putnam brothers. It retains a high degree of integrity, with only modest and sympathetic alterations.
Significance in brief: The camp is nominated at the statewide level. It preserves a largely intact assemblage of Victorian-era rustic Adirondack camp buildings dating from the 1870s to the early 1900s. It was established by Boston physicians and academics, including William James, Henry Bowditch and the Putnam brothers, who built and expanded it as their families grew.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 12000876, listed October 17, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1196 NY 73, Saint Huberts |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | October 17, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000876 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century; Other (rustic camp buildings) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as having a high degree of integrity, with the camp buildings still in camp use and only modest, sympathetic alterations over the years. |
| Acreage | 219.2 |
| Coordinates | 44.15941, -73.76157 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 12000876.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.