Aerial view of Stevenson Cottage (circled) and Carpenter’s Field, upper right. (Photo provided — Gar Munn, 1981.)

Carpenter’s Field today is a mini neighborhood behind the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage, which is on its north side. On its’ west side, it turns into Carpenter’s Hill, going down.

Carpenter’s Hill used to be about 10 feet higher than at present, and if you played in the field back then, you had to run up an inclined slope towards an empty sky to reach the crest of Carpenter’s Hill. The whole area could have passed for a natural amphitheatre and present-day Stevenson Lane Extension occupies the stage.

This short stretch, bordered by a brook along the east side, covers the path that the “sports” once used to get to Moody Pond from their rented tents on Andrew Baker’s farm, the same path used by RLS to skate there during the winter of 1887-88. Today, when you look west from the “stage” you can see French Hill. The displaced earth that makes this possible can be driven upon all over the roads on top of Mt. Pisgah.

Carpenter’s Field was sacred stomping ground for neighborhood kids of baby boomer status back in the day, when a crude baseball diamond occupied the southwest corner. In winter, Carpenter’s Hill got plenty of attention from sledders and novice skiers and sometimes a beginners’ ski jump for the risk-takers. Of course, it was higher then.

In the mid-1950s, Carpenter’s Field was front and center in the mind of John F. Delahant, Sr., director of the Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage, when he conceived a use for it in his brainstorm vision of “Treasure Island,” the mini-theme park conveniently placed next to the RLS house museum.

The combined attraction should surely attract the tourist families, flooding the roads like never before, part of the post-war reset. Putting forth a plan like this today could seem awkward since circumstances evolve, which goes without saying; but in the 1950s the village of Saranac Lake was prioritizing tourism as an existential lifeline to somehow survive the collapse of the community’s economy, which had been disease-based and finally conquered by science! Director Delahant put a letter in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise to explain his proposal in public. It follows in part:

“For several months now, I have been reading in Enterprise columns the interesting comments and suggestions of those good people of our community who are apprehensive as to the future and welfare of Saranac Lake. Many of these articles are too general in scope. They intend to stir up the people into doing something that will attract the tourist to our fair village. But what? … Anything that smacks of the ‘Coney Island Style’ is unacceptable to some while others apparently are willing to go along with any project that will serve the purpose. Did anybody think to ask the tourist?

“Regardless of what the local people think of the Robert Louis Stevenson Shrine, he is hailed throughout the world as one of the great writers of his time, and people come here from all parts of the world to view the relics and to learn a little more about this great man and his works.

“There is, however, another type of tourist who comes here in large numbers during the months of July and August–Mr. John Doe and family–and I have observed many times the sincerity with which these fathers and mothers try to impress upon their children the importance of the occasion. ‘Now Mary and Johnny, this is the cottage where Mr. Stevenson lived the man who wrote Treasure Island. Remember the story you saw on TV? Here are the shoes he wore, his skates, his smoking jacket. Don’t ever forget that you were here, and be sure to tell your teacher all about it.’

“The children as a rule are not impressed. They appear bored. I have said to myself many times ‘Why not set up a Treasure Island at or near the cottage’ and now I am saying it out loud. The two are tailored for each other. Santa Claus never lived at the foot of Whiteface Mountain and Old MacDonald never lived at the farm on the Lake Placid road, but Robert Louis Stevenson did live and work here … Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver, Saranac Lake and Treasure Island, all wrapped up in one neat package. Here then is an exhibit of a permanent nature, open the year round, attractive to both the adult and child, educational as well as entertaining. Should any of your readers concur or doubt the feasibility of my suggestion, I shall be glad to hear from them.”

He heard from Mr. W.N. Seymour, Jr. of unknown origin, who wrote: “Dear Mr. Delahant–Mrs. Seymour and I are raw newcomers to Saranac Lake, and are here only temporarily, but we hope that won’t take away too much from our enthusiasm in favor of your excellent idea about building a Treasure Island as an adjunct to the Stevenson Cottage.

“Saranac Lake has many charms for the visitor, but you can’t advertise ‘charms’ alone to draw people here. You must give examples–and an educational exhibit to which kids can be taken is a darned good example. Sure we’ve got camping, hunting, fishing, beautiful mountains and so on, but as far as the prospective visitor goes, who hasn’t? Take a look at the listings for neighboring communities in the new New York State Vacationlands just issued by the Department of Commerce. The one unique thing about Saranac Lake as far as any reader is concerned is the Stevenson Cottage. Not only does it head the Saranac Lake listings as being ‘Of interest,’ it also rates us a special mention up in the ‘What to See’ section covering the Adirondack region.

“It’s plain to see that the Cottage is an extremely valuable drawing card that deserves careful attention. Part of that attention should be to add to the Cottage’s pulling power by building a Treasure Island exhibit for the youngsters. We think this is a fine idea and are only sorry that we can’t offer you more than moral support.”

In fact, Mr. Seymour gave up a list of good ideas, free of charge, starting with “instead of a full-size exhibit, why not one done to one-fourth scale? A story in Life a year ago told of a miniature village in Holland made so the streets were like footpaths and children could peer into the little houses at the kind of world that was their own–not grown up scale and forbidding.”

In a letter to Mr. Anthony Farrell c/o Mark Hellinger Theatre, West 51 St., New York City, NY, Mr. Delahant said he was finding support for his fantasy and mentioned “Mr. William Morris, of the William Morris Theatrical Agency Broadway, N.Y. was the first to pay me a call and with his help and know how, I feel confident that we will have a fine exhibit, historical in character, entertaining and educational. This every tourist will want to see.”

Even Ms. Viola Stevenson of Chattanooga, Tennessee, heard about it. She had genuine credentials showing her to be a descendant from someone in the famous family firm of civil engineers nicknamed the “Lighthouse Stevensons.” She wrote a letter to Director Delahant, dated June 6, 1956. She personally knew Mrs. Isobel Field, better known as “Belle,” Stevenson’s stepdaughter. Her letter was a response to Delahant’s request for some details about her family history which she provided. Viola ends her letter saying: “I reviewed Isabel Smith’s book, ‘I Wish I Might,’ and thereby got acquainted with her. I write her sometimes and received a clipping of the proposed Treasure Island project from her. I think that will be wonderful and hope to be kept abreast of its progress …”

It was not to be. Plans were interrupted when John Francis Delahant, Sr., died in August 1958 from complications following surgery. He was 72. J.F.D., Sr., was born on March 11, 1886, in Cohoes, and from there went on to graduate from Albany Academy of Cadets and Albany Business College. For years following the death of his father, he operated a chain of grocery stores owned by the family. About 1913, he left Albany to take a position with the New York Edison Company. In 1919, Mr. Delahant branched out to own an electrical appliance business in New York City. In 1934, he returned to the Edison company as sales executive, a post he held until retiring in 1951. Two years later he and wife, Maude, came north on old Route 9, to Saranac Lake, to live at the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage–the “Hunter’s Home”–right next to Carpenter’s Field which was still Baker’s Field when the creator of Long John Silver left his footprints there.