History of Adirondack Chairs

A charming past

In a little town called Westport near Lake Champlain in the Adirondack mountains the Adirondack chair was born. Nearby Blue Lake, NY is home to the Adirondack Museum, which preserves the history of Adirondack chairs.

Trial and error

A man named Thomas Lee had a large family who spent time outdoors, but they didn't have reliable outdoor seating option.  In 1903 Lee finally got fed up and started experimenting with his own design.  On the lawn in front of his family's house, he built and tested chairs until he had the final product, and Adirondack chairs were born.

Harry Bunnell

The first carpenter to produce the chair was Harry Bunnell, a local Westport man to whom Thomas Lee took his design. While Lee mostly wanted the chair for his own family's enjoyment, Bunnell saw opportunity for a market in the summer's many visitors to the mountains.

The Adirondack chair quickly became popular all over the region. Bunnelle experimented with new designs in different sizes as well.  His first chairs were made of hemlock, painted brown or green, and signed by the carpenter himself. Those original Bunnell Adirondacks today sell for up to $2000, up from the original four bucks he charged in the early 1900s.

The Adirondack story continues

The Adirondack chair is at the core of today's favorite outdoor American furniture. The Adirondack chair style is now seen in other pieces of furniture as well, including porch swings, garden benches, and rocking chairs.  Some things are too good to go away, and Thomas Lee and Harry Bunnell's Adirondack chair design is one of those things!

More information on Adirondack chairs