Happy Fall to you, our dear Friends of Camp Santanoni!
We are grateful to all of you: our staff, participants and visitors, the Santanoni Partners -- AARCH, the Town of Newcomb and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation -- and to Newcombe Farm for putting the "Great" in Great Camp Santanoni this season!
If you visited Camp Santanoni this summer, chances are you met our three fantastic summer interns: Jocelyn, Oliver and Riley. The interns did amazing work hosting the public and completing preservation projects, and we appreciate all of their efforts. We wish them luck as they pursue the next phase of their careers.
Along with the interns' tours of the Main Camp and Farm, we had a nice slate of special events at the Santanoni Preserve this year, from Susan West Montgomery's Mindfulness tour to the fabulous new Hidden Stories of Santanoni program with Interpretative Coordinator Jennifer Betsworth and AARCH Executive Director Erin Tobin. We also hosted our 2nd Annual Art and Music Day at Santanoni and were thrilled to see the work that was created during this event.
Our tours of the Main Camp are all wrapped up and we've closed up the buildings for now, but remember! The Santanoni Preserve is open to the public to explore 365 days a year. Join local guide, Charlotte Demers, for a free winter tree identification walk, or grab a guide book or a copy of Santanoni: From Japanese Temple to Life at an Adirondack Great Camp and take a self-guided tour. More details about visiting when the Camp is unstaffed are available here.
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L-R: The Santanoni summer staff: Riley, Jennifer, Jocelyn and Oliver on the Kitchen Porch; Katie Langford's painting of Larry Newcombe and the Newcombe Farm horses; the Hidden Stories of Santanoni tour at Main Camp. |
We're now hard at work planning for next year's special programs, but no year at Santanoni is complete without its Winter Weekends! Read on for more information about our Winter Weekend schedule and how you can participate as a volunteer.
We're also continuing our oral history project, Camp Santanoni Stories, in conjunction with OurStoryBridge. Check out this newsletter's featured story and visit our oral history website to learn more about contributing your own story.
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A note from our Interpretative Coordinator |
Santanoni Interpretative Coordinator Jennifer Betsworth at a Winter Weekend event in 2025. Photo courtesy of Nancie Battaglia |
When I arrived in Newcomb in 2011 for my internship at Great Camp Santanoni, I had never been to the Adirondacks before. I fell hard for Santanoni, for the beauty of sunsets on Newcomb Lake, and the great people and history of the region.
After years of volunteering at the site, I formally became the part-time Santanoni Interpretive Coordinator in 2018. Researching Santanoni's untold stories, bringing them to the public, and opening new spaces to interpretation was truly a joy. It was also an honor to mentor each year's interns, introduce new AARCH Executive Director Erin Tobin to Santanoni's challenges and delights, and support AARCH's Historic Site Managers. As of October 2025, my run as Santanoni Interpretive Coordinator has come to an end.
In August, I started a new full-time role as the Agency Preservation Officer for the Department of Environmental Conversation. It is humbling to step into the big shoes left by the late Chuck Vandrei, who had held the role for over 30 years. I look forward to growing into this new position with statewide responsibility for archaeological sites and historic resources. While my role will be different at Santanoni, I'm happy to continue to work as one of the Santanoni Partners. I am encouraged by and enthusiastic about the supporting the maturation of this National Historic Landmark into a historic site that welcomes, educates, and inspires visitors far into the future.
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| Jennifer Betsworth
Santanoni Interpretive Coordinator |
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Grab your skis or snowshoes and join us at the Great Camp Santanoni Main Camp for a hot beverage in the Artist's Studio and a special winter tour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the following weekends: Jan. 17-18, Feb. 14-15, and March 14-15. This popular event provides a rare opportunity to go inside buildings and meet guides at Great Camp Santanoni during the winter months. The nine-mile round trip on gently rolling terrain will take you past the Santanoni Farm and through the Forest Preserve on a wide, well maintained trail.
This event is hosted by Adirondack Architectural Heritage, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Town of Newcomb, and the SUNY ESF Adirondack Interpretive Center.
Need gear? Reach out to Cloudsplitter Outfitters in Newcomb for information about renting gear for Winter Weekends.
NOTE: Winter conditions can change quickly in the backcountry. Be prepared with extra warm clothing and adequate supplies for your trip. |
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Bud, Bark and Needle: Winter Tree Identification for Beginners Increase the enjoyment of your upcoming winter snowshoe walks and cross-country ski adventures by learning to identify some of the region's trees using twig, bark, and bud characteristics at this free event.
Meet Guide Charlotte Demers at the upper parking lot at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 for a one-mile walk to the Santanoni Farm. We will cover basic terminology used in tree identification and discuss the natural history of the species we identify. Return to the parking lot at your own pace.
Please bring suitable clothing, footwear and water for a 2-mile round trip winter hike. Click the link below to register. |
Can't get enough of Great Camps in the snow? Our neighbors at Great Camp Sagamore are continuing their annual Snow Days this winter on Jan. 31 and Feb. 28, 2026.
Visit Great Camp Sagamore's website for more information about their winter events! |
Ned Pruyn, left, and his family at Great Camp Santanoni. Gertrude Valliere worked for the Pruyn children and their families as a teenager. |
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Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities |
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Newcomb Lake Trail Volunteer Day Join Trail Steward David Hughes for a Volunteer Work Day on the Newcomb Lake Loop Trail. We will meet at the Gate Lodge at 7 a.m. on November 8, and conduct work on side cutting, drain clearing, removal of blowdowns and replacement of missing trail markers. Expect to traverse some wet and muddy areas, so wear appropriate footwear (hiking or work boots). Dress for variable weather and bring plenty of snacks and water. Click the link for more information or to sign up. |
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Are you interested in helping at out at one of Great Camp Santanoni’s most popular events?
Join us as a volunteer docent during our 2026 Winter Weekends. We are in need of volunteers to assist with tours at the Main Camp, serve hot beverages to our visitors in the Artist's Studio and to check out snowshoes at the Gate Lodge Visitor Center.
The 2026 Winter Weekends are scheduled for Jan. 17-18, Feb. 14-15, and March 14-15.
Click the link below to sign up or for more information. |
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Seeking Volunteer Docents!
Do you love Great Camp Santanoni and want to share it with the public? We are recruiting volunteer docents to lead tours at the Gate Lodge, Farm, and Main Camp complexes and to assist at our Winter Weekend events. Virtual training will take place in early 2026.
Email Kelly at kelly@aarch.org for more information or click the link below to sign up! |
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Erin Tobin AARCH Executive Director |
| Kelly Quimby Camp Santanoni Historic Site Manager |
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The Friends of Camp Santanoni, a project of Adirondack Architectural Heritage with support from the Town of Newcomb and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, aims to provide long-term financial and volunteer support for the Camp. |
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Founded in 1990, in part to save Santanoni, Adirondack Architectural Heritage, the nonprofit historic preservation organization for New York's Adirondack region, seeks to preserve the architecture and communities of the Adirondacks through education, action, and advocacy.
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