Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) announces the availability of three intern positions at Great Camp Santanoni in 2026. Named the Camp Santanoni George Canon Internship, these positions honor the memory of the late Newcomb Town Supervisor, George Canon.
Supervisor Canon’s vision for Camp Santanoni and love for the Town of Newcomb and the Adirondacks made him a key champion in the fight to preserve Santanoni decades ago. Beginning in 1991 under Supervisor Canon’s leadership and continuing through today, the Town of Newcomb provides funding support for the Camp Santanoni intern program.

Responsibilities

● Interaction with public visitors, including site explanation and interpretation through daily tours of the site. This includes the Gate Lodge, accessible from Route 28N; the Farm Complex, a one-mile walk/bike into the complex; the Main Camp Complex, a four and a half-mile walk/bike each direction.
● Participating in ongoing restoration work. This includes staining, painting, window reglazing, and other discrete conservation projects.
● Operating a small visitor’s center at the Gate Lodge, including signage and maintaining inventory.
● Developing programs and exhibits for ongoing site interpretation.
● Working with the Camp Santanoni Historic Site Manager on projects as needed.

Position requirements
● Applicants must be upper-level undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate level and studying/have studied historic preservation, history, or a related field in college or graduate school.
● Independently motivated who works well in a small team environment.
● Physically able to travel daily walking or cycling on an uneven carriage road between the Gate Lodge and Main Camp (9 miles round trip). This job requires travel 9 miles daily by foot or bicycle on a path through the woods in all weather.
● Ability to work in adverse weather conditions outdoors in nature.
● Able to lift relatively large and heavy objects, alone or with assistance, such as wooden window sash.
● Comfort working outdoors all day in a rustic wilderness environment.

Position Details
● Employment dates are June 1-August 22, 2026 with possible opportunity to extend.
● This position will pay $16 per hour, housing provided, for 12 weeks.
● Staff will work 37.5 hours over a 5-day work week.
● All staff will reside at the Gate Lodge, a communal living situation with private bedrooms, two shared hall bathrooms, a full kitchen and common living spaces. The Gate Lodge is located directly off NYS Route 28N and the center of Newcomb with wifi and some cell phone service (Verizon).
● Summer staff will be supervised by the AARCH Executive Director and her team, with support from the Town of Newcomb and regular interaction with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

Additional information
Camp Santanoni is a National Historic Landmark and 32-acre Historic Area located in the Adirondack Forest Preserve and in the Essex County town of Newcomb. AARCH manages Camp Santanoni in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and with significant support from the Town of Newcomb. Since 1991, AARCH has hosted summer interns working at the great camp, paid by the town, interpreting Camp Santanoni for the public and completing hands-on preservation projects.

Camp Santanoni consists of three building complexes: a Main Camp complex, a collection of rustic buildings including the main lodge situated on secluded Newcomb Lake; a Gate Lodge complex at the entrance to the preserve; and late 19th/early 20th-century farm complex. Building of this great camp began in 1892 for Robert and Anna Pruyn of Albany. In its time Camp Santanoni was the largest of the Adirondack Great Camps and hosted Theodore Roosevelt, among other prominent guests. After New York State acquired the site in 1972 and added it to the Adirondack Forest Preserve, Santanoni sat vacant and neglected for more than 20 years with an uncertain fate. In 2000, New York State created the Camp Santanoni Historic Area, committing to use the site for public educational and recreational purposes. Since then, more than $2 million in conservation work has been completed and thousands visit annually. Only the Gate Lodge complex has water and electricity. The Farm and Main Camp complexes are managed within the Adirondack Forest Preserve as Wild Forest, with no running water, no power, minimal furnishing, and no motor vehicle access.