The family’s connection to Long Lake dates back to the 1890s, when William Collins Whitney consolidated and purchased nearly 80,000 acres of land around the town. Over the years, as the land was passed down through the family, portions of it were sold, although the family still retains some 36,000 acres, known as Whitney Park.

Ownership of the property was passed from William C. Whitney to his son Harry Payne Whitney, and in turn H.P. handed it to his son Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny” Whitney. When Sonny passed away in 1992, he gave ownership to his wife, Marylou Whitney. In 1997, she married John Hendrickson. The couple remained together until Marylou passed away in 2019, at which point ownership of the land was passed to Hendrickson.

Hendrickson said continuing to own and operate Whitney Park in her absence had become too lonely of an undertaking. He put it on the market for $180 million. The land, which in addition to vast woodlands, contains 100 miles of pristine shoreline spread across 22 lakes and ponds — along with a number of historic camps and other structures served by nearly 100 miles of maintained roads throughout the property.

Before he could find a suitable buyer, Hendrickson unexpectedly died from a heart attack last August. His sudden death brought a wave of sorrow and uncertainty over Long Lake, given that it was not immediately clear what would happen to the land and what that would mean for the community, one which had cherished a special — and enduring — place of reverence for Hendrickson and the Whitney’s who preceded him.

The Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Long Lake Public Library is seen on Dec. 15, 2024. In 2007, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson donated $250,000 to the library. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

Last month, Long Lake town Supervisor Clay Arsenault received a phone call from a family representative informing him that the executors of Hendrickson’s will had news to pass on. They did not, however, wish to reveal it over the phone. Instead, a meeting was scheduled for Feb. 27 at the Long Lake office of Whitney Industries — the family’s business that manages Whitney Park.

The meeting included Arsenault, his confidential secretary, estate attorney Edward J. Martin and estate co-executors Caroline Steuer and Ed Hendrickson, John’s brother, who joined the meeting remotely from Alaska, where he lives.

After introductions, attention turned to the matter at hand. As much as the family had given back to the Long Lake community over the years, nothing could have prepared Arsenault for the news he was about to receive. It would go down as one of the most significant developments in Long Lake’s history.

Over the computer screen, Ed informed Arsenault that the town of Long Lake had been designated by John, in his will, to be the sole beneficiary for the net proceeds from the eventual sale of Whitney Park.

“I was speechless,” Arsenault said. “For once in my life, I was speechless. … I was at a loss for words.”

Arsenault and his secretary had to do a double-take upon hearing the news.

“We both just looked at each other, and then looked at the computer screens and then looked at each other,” he said.

Eventually, Arsenault gathered himself and expressed a profound sense of gratitude on behalf of the community for the massive gift they are now slated to receive.

Arsenault said representatives told him that the estate would be in charge of the marketing and sale process for the property.

“The town has nothing to do with the sale of the property,” he said.

Estate representatives told Arsenault that their intention is to list the property below $180 million, but did not detail the exact price yet.

Arsenault informed town board members that day and scheduled a special town meeting this past Friday to announce the news to the community and public. In an accompanying public statement, the town described how the process will play out.

“Pursuant to Mr. Hendrickson’s wishes, his estate will manage the continued marketing and sale of the property, which began in 2020,” the statement read. “The sale process will require the fulfillment of legal procedures and obligations, including ensuring that all the obligations of the estate are properly settled. The estate will then deliver the net sale proceeds to the town. Though the actual amount of money that Long Lake receives will not be known until the property is sold, it is currently listed at more than $100 million.”

While the eventual sum that the town receives is unknown, it is likely to be a staggering windfall for small community of just under 800 residents. For reference, Arsensault said that the town’s entire operating budget last year — after removing fire district expenses that the town collects taxes on behalf of, but does not consider part of its budget — was around $5 million.

In addition to a gift likely many times larger than what the town operates on each year, Arsenault said that Long Lake was fiscally strong prior to receiving the news.

“We’re extremely financially healthy right now,” he said. “That’s something that we’re proud of.”

He said that being in that position currently will enable town officials to act prudently and with foresight for the future when it comes to deciding how the gift will be spent — and/or saved — to last well into the future. While it may take multiple years for the sale to be finalized and the funds delivered to the town, Arsenault said that planning is already underway to steward the funds.

He said that Hendrickson did not place any restrictions on how the town was to use the gift. However, rather than identifying possible projects to spend the gift on right off the bat, the first order of business will be to put financial guardrails in place.

“We’re going to safeguard this money before we worry about any individual projects,” he said.

Arsenault said that he will do everything in his power to ensure that the gift reaches as many in the Long Lake community as possible for as long as possible, just as he said John and Marylou would have wanted.

“They loved the residents who welcomed them as their own,” he said. “They always felt the community was so warm and welcoming.”

In 1961, the family designed and donated a statue commemorating Long Lake’s World War I veterans. In 2007, the family donated $250,000 the town’s library. The donation was the largest in its history. The library’s board voted to rename it as the Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Library in their honor. The family has also made significant donations to the town’s medical center and annual fireworks display — among a host of smaller acts of generosity over the years, according to Arsenault.

“John and Marylou loved and respected the residents of the community,” he said. “And that love and respect was shadowed by the community. Everybody loved John and Marylou. They were out in the community and they always gave back. Always, for generations, they have been very generous to the community of Long Lake.”

Britt Bozak has lived in Long Lake for the past 22 years. During that time, she waited on John, Marylou and other close family members several times at the Cellar when it was still in operation as a restaurant, one of their favorite dining spots in town.

“They really have gone out of their way throughout the years to provide for the town,” she said.

Bozak felt that the couple appreciated the community treating them as regular people, rather than fawning over or otherwise making a big deal about their fame and prominence.

“We as locals treated them as normal,” she said. “We tried not to make a big to-do. It was just kind of a golden rule.”

Barbara Kinsey, speaking on behalf of her family, who was busy operating the Waypoint Cafe, said the group moved to the area recently, but was not surprised that Long Lake left an indelibly positive mark on Hendrickson and the Whitneys.

“This town’s been known in the area as an extremely supportive community,” she said. “People come from far and wide all over … and we’ve heard of people who end up staying here because of just the way everyone’s welcoming and it’s a beautiful spot.”

To view the town of Long Lake’s official statement on the gift, visit tinyurl.com/3uyrn58t.