I am lucky to find so many good, old Enterprise stories in my meticulous (not) files.

The following is by Matthew Russell, a great reporter, now giving me an opportunity to connect the dots that made my connection to many events and visits to Litchfield Castle.

John Stock, as you will read, was the Superintendent of Litchfield Park. When Mr. Stock was nearing his retirement, he hired this big, strong, bright young man, Kevin Littlefield. That worked out pretty well for my nephew, Superintendent Kevin, for the Park, and for all concerned, because that was 53 years ago. Also, I had a chance to become acquainted with a Litchfield family member, Pieter V. C. Litchfield.

“The beautifully restored Beth Joseph Synagogue was filled to capacity Sunday night as dozens of Adirondackers turned out to hear John Stock talk about Litchfield Park and its famous ‘castle.’

“Stock, a former member of the Adirondack Park Agency board and a long-time Tupper Lake area resident, was the superintendent at the renowned Litchfield Park for many years. He has an intimate knowledge of its history, its buildings and grounds and the family which built the estate. Stock accompanied his narration with slides of old photographs and colorful recent shots.

“Stock’s lecture was part of this summer’s Adirondack Discovery program. Introducing Stock, Adirondack Discovery Director Joan Payne said the turnout was fantastic and that there is clearly a big demand for presentations by Stock. Sunday’s lecture was the first Discovery event held in Tupper Lake.

“Litchfield is an enormous estate located in the southern part of the Town Of Altamont (changed in 2004 to the Town of Tupper Lake) near Tupper Lake. Thousands of acres surround a stunning stone castle reminiscent of European castles of old. Hundreds of Italian workers were brought in to build the chateau in 1911 on the shores of Lake Madeleine, also known as Jenkins Pond. Miles of roads and fences and several other cottages make up the estate built by E. H. Litchfield. The family fortune which funded the construction of the 94-room chateau has been founded in the legal profession in New York City.

“Litchfield bought thousands of acres of Adirondack forestland in the late 1800s and surrounded the estate with fences, intending to start a game farm for imported and native animals. Elk, wild boar and game birds were brought in but few thrived. Litchfield then began preparations for the grand chateau which would become the centerpiece of the family’s estate, Stock said.

“Before detailing the interesting history of the Litchfield estate, Stock told of the earliest days of Tupper Lake and of Litchfield’s role in how the neighborhood known as the Junction came to be.

“In the late 1800s logging operations on the Racquette River involved the use of dams to back up water to improve the waterway for log drives, Stock explained. One dam in particular, at the Setting Pole Rapids backed up water as far as Tupper Lake, and the area known as the Junction was inundated by three to four feet of water. Early settlers eyeing the flay lowlands blew a hole in the dam and began to build houses in the area. But timber operators added onto the dam, and the junction began to food again. Stock had his audience laughing when he explained how those same settlers, miffed by the rising waters, went to the dam one night and blew another hole in it.

“Litchfield then came to the rescue. Concerned about flooding his lands as well as the Junction, Litchfield took the timber operators to court to prevent them from making the dam high enough to flood Tupper Lake. Litchfield and his legal team won, and a court ruled that the dam could not be raised. The ruling known as the Litchfield Injunction still stands today. The Junction was saved.”

Part II Next Week.