History

GOOD YEAR LODGE

“The Grand Dame of Goodyear Lake”

Established 1901

Goodyear Lodge was built by George West, a business tycoon from the “Big City.” It was his summer Adirondack gambling retreat.  Both the slot machine and phonograph are from those days. The wood walls and all the windows are original as well. The floors in the great room were replaced in 2022, due to a flood. If you look closely, you can see the uneven pattern that comes with old leaded glass.

There were no roads in the early years, so families arrived by boat, coming down the Susquehanna River. The queen bedrooms upstairs were designed so that each had a dressing room (now the second bedroom in the suite) with a closet large enough to roll in the upright steamer trunks used in those days.

The Boathouse was also built in 1901 as quarters for both the children and their nanny. Two Boathouse bedrooms are exceptionally large, and that is because one was a bunkhouse for boys, and the other for girls.  Each room could hold up to five twin beds. Just imagine the slumber parties they had each summer while Mom and Dad entertained guests in the Lodge!

During Prohibition, Goodyear Lodge was a speakeasy, responsible for many exciting parties, and unmentionable behavior!

Then in the 1970’s, Goodyear Lodge became a kayak training facility for the Olympics. Owned by Ms. Lee Abbott, the 1972 Men’s Kayak Olympic Coach, Lee opened her home to both students and athletes alike. She was also a professor at State University of New York at Oneonta.

After Ms. Abbott, the house changed hands twice and fell into disrepair. In late 2010 the property was purchased by Amy Maynard. Amy’s goal was to restore Goodyear Lodge to her rightful place as the “Grand Dame of Goodyear Lake” to be shared by baseball families during the summer. In 2020 the Miller Family bought the property and slowly made more changes to the property without losing the historical integrity of the house. Because of her colorful past, and her intact architecture that is true to the period she was built, the Millers applied for National Historic Registry status. 

After many years of visiting my family on Goodyear Lake, I purchased the “Grand Dame” in spring 2022. I hope you will enjoy her majestic lake views and authentic Adirondack camp feel and make many family memories as so many have done before.

Barbara Clarkson-Kami, Proprietor