Old Forge, NY

Old Forge is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Webb, on New York Route 28 at the western gateway to the Adirondack Park. The route is the town’s spine, with the Moose River and Old Forge Pond nearby and the Fulton Chain of Lakes beginning northeast. Thendara, the old rail stop, is just southwest, and the local school is a K–12 district—useful bearings if you are picturing the place beyond the vacation brochures.

The name comes from the iron-forging attempt made by Charles Frederick Herreshoff and his family after the Brown family acquired the land in 1798. Farming did not take hold, but the route, waterways, and later rail connection changed the place. The Fulton Chain Railroad linked Old Forge to Thendara in 1896, opening the lake country to easier travel; passenger service at nearby Thendara continued until 1965. Today the business strip on Route 28 serves as the practical center, while the Town of Webb Historical Association and Adirondack Railroad keep the older layers visible. Think of Old Forge as a gateway hamlet where road, rail, pond, river, and lake chain all meet.