History Of The Adirondack Chair

Adirondack chairs were born out of a town called Westport, New York, which sits at the edge of Lake Champlain by the Adirondack Mountains. Adirondack chairs were originally called Westport chairs which begins an interesting story of one man's desire to build a comfortable outdoor chair.

In 1903, a man named Thomas Lee had been vacationing in Westport with his rather large 22 member family and decided that he would try to create an outdoor chair that was comfortable enough to sit on an unleveled hill and still be able to enjoy the great outdoors. He began nailing boards together and testing the comfort level with his family members. Lee’s family loved this outdoor chair and the rest was history, well sort of. Harry Bunnell was a local carpenter in town and told Lee that the chairs had a good chance of selling. Lee was trying to give Bunnell some business but Bunnell had something else in mind.

In 1904 Harry Bunnell requested a patent and secured it without Lee’s knowledge. In 1905 the Westport chair had become one of the most recognized pieces of furniture in the early 20th Century. They are still very nostalgic when you look at them. Bunnell built his chairs out of Hemlock or Basswood and stamped each chair on the backrest with his U.S. patent number. He painted them Green or dark brown and sold them for $400, a pricey cost even back then.

Today, Classic Adirondack chairs are merely a modified version of the original Westport chair. They both have the slanted low seat and large wide arm rests. Adirondack chairs of today are made with Cedar, a much more durable wood than Hemlock. There are various styles and colors. Adirondack chairs are a symbol of the great country we live in. A "Made In America" product with an iconic look that will never go out of style.

Article by Anita Winter