The Hedges’ canoe launch on Blue Mountain Lake (Photo provided)

BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE — The Hedges on Blue Mountain Lake, an Adirondack great camp dating back to the 1880s and operated as a resort since 1921, has been sold to 60 individuals and families. Many of these purchasers have a long history of being guests at the resort.

The group of purchasers formed a limited liability company called The Hedges on Blue Mountain Lake LLC to help ensure the resort will remain open to the public. Previous owner Patricia Benton had owned the property since April 2000. In 2016, Benton decided to sell The Hedges and continue in a transitional management role.

Stephen Blum, spokesperson for The Hedges on Blue Mountain Lake LLC, said the process that led to the sale started with a guest initiative that began two or more years ago. Blum stressed that the purchase agreement was really driven by a shared desire on all sides involved to “preserve something sacred.” He said “the process was driven primarily by preservation vs. economics.”

Mike Salvatore, a member of the original camper initiative, said, “Patricia Benton and her late husband Rip have left a remarkable and indelible footprint on The Hedges during an 18-year stewardship. Ms. Benton and a group of loyal campers recognized the potential loss of yet another Adirondack great camp, as well as the potential impact of lost jobs in the central Adirondacks, and they took action. Thanks to a multi-year collective effort by so many people, we are exceedingly proud to say that The Hedges will welcome guests with doors wide open for years to come. We are also very much looking forward to a centennial celebration in three years!”

Blum, in releasing information about the sale of The Hedges, highlighted the fact that in addition to the financial contributions made by the purchasing members of the LLC, the purchase was assisted by a loan from the Development Authority of the North Country’s Regional Development program, whose aims are to provide funding for North Country job creation and retention among small businesses and to assist in furthering tourism-related development projects that are supposed to have a transformational impact on North Country communities.

The Hedges is an Adirondack landmark that individual and family guests have enjoyed for generations. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The property started in 1880 as the Duryea Camp, named for its owner, Army Col. Hiram Duryea. The camp was renamed The Hedges when the Collins family welcomed its first guests in 1921. The Hedges evolved and grew throughout the 20th century into a resort that now welcomes more than 1,000 guests each season. Situated on more than 12 acres of Adirondack woods, with 1,600 feet of waterfront, The Hedges has over 30 lodging options, including 14 cabins, five suites, 12 rooms, a full-service dining room serving breakfast and dinner daily and boats, docks, a beach, tennis courts and a game room available for guest use from May to October.