Arcady on Lake George

The Mansion was built in 1874 by DeLorme Knowlton. Designed in the Second Empire style with its Mansard roof and tower, it was christened Sunnyside by the Knowlton family. In 1890 the Knowlton's auctioned the property and it was bought by the Speers. In the tower, a note is preserved on the wall written by the Knowlton children and their cousins. It reads Sunnyside how can we part from thee, we loved but thee only. Built 1874 Lost 1889" In 1904 the home was again auctioned... and was purchased by Dr. Smith Ely Jelliffe and his wife Helena Dewey Leeming Jelliffe. Dr. Jelliffe’s father William Munson Jelliffe first discovered Lake George in the 1860s when he and his friends and family first camped and later built small cottages in The Hamlet on Kitchell Bay. Ely and Helena’s brother Joseph were school mates in Brooklyn and the Leeming family also began enjoying summers at The Lake. Ely and Helena were childhood sweethearts and married after a long courtship. They had admired the property for many years so when it came up at auction they immediately took the journey from New York City to attend the auction. They won the auction by just 100 dollars. They rowed from the Hamlet to the property and brought a small green cup that they filled with water from the lake and with it christened their new home Arcady. The Mansion was so named to honor its French heritage. The Jelliffe family spent many happy summers there until Helena died in 1916 at the age of 48. Dr. Jelliffe continued to visit the lake until his death in 1945. In 1923 the property had been divided among the Jelliffe’s five children with the Mansion going to their youngest child, Helena Woodruff Jelliffe. Helena married Carel Goldschmidt and they continued the tradition of spending summers at the Mansion with their family and friends. The Mansion had fallen into disrepair several times over the years but with many repairs and some modern upgrades, the Mansion remains in most of its original condition. The Mansion continues to be enjoyed by the many generations of the decedents of Ely and Helena Jelliffe.

The original Arcady was comprised of five houses. The Mansion, The Whitehouse, The Peter Pan, The Den, and The Boathouse. The Whitehouse and The Peter Pan are now in the possession of other owners. The site of The Den is currently occupied by The Library. This site has a long history. The first building to occupy this site was a washhouse built by the original owner DeLorme Knowlton. When the property was bought by the Jelliffe family in 1904 the washhouse was remodeled into ...The Den which over the years saw many additions. In 1953 The Den was destroyed in a fire. A structure nearby, The Library was subsequently moved to this site, it too saw many additions over the years. The Library structure was a barn from the original farm on the property. The Library was named for the large collection of books kept there by Dr. Jelliffe. The Library building was very old and eventually collapsed. In its place, a new home was built in 2007. In honor of the old library, the new house has been christened The Library. See more

The mighty Whale Rock guards The Mansion.

This is a Stoddard photograph of Arcady when it was called the Knowlton Place. Two of the original of the five gazebos on the property are in this photo. Can you find them?

Coral Island gazebo circa 1940. There were originally five gazebos on Arcady.