Infirmary VR Scene

    During the late nineteenth century, the Adirondacks became a popular destination for the rich and famous. Known as the "Gilded Age," this period is famous for the construction of huge rustic compounds called Great Camps. William West Durant was the style-setter of the great camp and the builder and creator of Camp Pine Knot.

    The infirmary, one of the original structures designed and built in 1880, was formally known as the Old Maid's Cabin. The reason and the year in which the name changed was not documented. One hypothesis is that with no further need for the building as a maid's cabin, it was transformed into the infirmary. On the other hand, it is possible that an elderly unmarried woman was a staff member of the Durant's, her job being the care of the sick and injured at Camp Pine Knot.

    We do know that Camp Pine Knot is located in a wilderness area hours away from hospitals and doctors. This rural locale must have necessitated that Durant, and others like him, take along an individual who could administer first aid and care for those stricken ill. With activities such as hunting and fishing, coupled with the rugged terrain, the infirmary at Pine Knot would have undoubtedly seen an interesting array of injuries and ailments. Such things could have ranged from twisted ankles, burns, colds and muscle ache to the more severe gunshot wounds, broken bones, and fish hooked skin. With no documented information on the exact happenings at the infirmary or on the individuals who could have attended the needs of the elite patients, it is impossible to accurately depict the actual events. With the information available to us, what we have constructed here are some possibilities.