High Peaks Cottage is woven into the story of this Adirondack town, which came into its own in the early 1900s. Before highways and vacation homes, people made the long journey north for something wilder and quieter, including clear lakes, thick forests, and the kind of outdoor life that required patience, skill, and a good local guide.

One of those guides was Thomas Peacock, the original owner of this cottage. Peacock knew these woods and waterways by heart and made a life leading visitors through them. He didn’t just show people where to go; he shared how to move through the land with respect. Over the years, he guided everyone from city sportsmen to notable figures, including Presidents Grover Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt. His home reflected that life: practical, close to nature, and shaped by the rhythms of the outdoors.

As the town grew, it became known for something else as well – healing. Saranac Lake gained national attention as a place where people suffering from tuberculosis came to recover in the clean mountain air. Homes throughout the area were adapted into “cure cottages,” where patients spent months resting on porches and breathing in the crisp Adirondack climate. This cottage was part of that chapter, too. In fact, the two seasonal bunkhouses on the property were added during this era to provide additional space for those taking part in the cure.

You can still feel those layers of history today. Inside the kitchen, Peacock’s markings remain in a cupboard that’s more than a century old. In the workshop, some of his original tools are still tucked away, serving as quiet reminders of a time when this place was shaped by hand, by necessity, and by a deep connection to the land.