RED HOUSE – The popular McIntosh Trail cabin loop at Allegany State Park has three thoroughly renovated cabins that are now available for rent, according to a recent announcement by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Friends of Allegany State Park Inc. The previously timeworn cabins are three of six of the only non-electric primitive cabins left in the Red House area. The nearly 80-year-old structures remained online and in the rental inventory until 2009. Previously, other McIntosh Trail loop cabins were demolished and replaced.

John Snyder, park manager of Red House Area, said when Allegany State Park was performing upgrades on Summit and McIntosh Loops in 1987 all the cabins on Summit Loop were torn down and replaced with modern three-room cabins, each with two bedrooms and a common room. He said these modern cabins were insulated and heated to promote winter camping.

“When Summit Trail was completed, the work moved to the McIntosh Trail where modern three-room cabins were constructed,” he said. “They kept a few of the cabins that (back then) were in very good condition.”

Paul Crawford, president of the Friends of Allegany State Park, said most cabins started out as tent platforms and eventually walls were built. Roofs and then porches were added to make the cabins. He said this is why the primitive cabins still have an inward-sloping roof as there originally were no porches on them.

According to Crawford, recent renovations included replacing rotten and porcupine-damaged sections of the floors, dozens of broken windows, and replacing and leveling piers. He said chimneys for the old wood-burning stoves were pulled and roof boards and shingles were replaced on all six cabins. Spindles and porch railing repairs were also done. Interior repairs were made to seal cracks in the siding and floors. He said the Friends part of the work is done, but the park needs to install grills and No. 26 needs a new driveway. He added that all six cabins will be non-electric with no stove or wood-burning stove.

Renovations began earlier this year after meetings between Allegany State Park management and representatives of the Friends’ group. Work continues on the other three cabins, with completion expected by spring. Snyder said the cabins will be ready by May 23 for Victoria Day 2016.

“These three refurbished cabins, with their nostalgic character, will be great additions to the offerings available for visitors to experience Allegany State Park’s 65,000 acres of multi-use trails and unique natural wonders,” said Jay Bailey, Allegany regional director. “We are extremely fortunate to have the Friends of Allegany State Park as partners in preserving this special park for generations to come.”

“The Friends of Allegany have had a wonderful and mutually cooperative relationship with park management and its employees for over three years,” Crawford said. “We look forward to helping our beloved park in the years to come.”

In addition to cabin refurbishment, Friends volunteers paint cabins and bridges, assemble, paint and repair picnic tables and benches, trim trails, pick up litter and more. Future projects include work to make a historic saw mill in the Red House area accessible for public tours, and coordination of larger volunteer events such as National Public Lands Day on Sept. 24, 2016, and I Love My Park Day on May 7, 2016. For those interested in joining, the Friends meet every first Saturday from April through October from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Since 2012, the Friends of Allegany State Park Inc. has worked to preserve, maintain, and interpret the historic character and natural beauty of Allegany State Park, serving as ambassadors and advocates for the park and the wider community. To learn more about the Friends of Allegany, to become a member or make a donation, visit the Friends of Allegany at friendsofallegany.com or Facebook.

According to the office of New York State Parks, the park was established in 1921 and developed extensively between 1933 and 1942 when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) took on the project of building roads, bridges, camping areas, trails and picnic areas. A converted schoolhouse served as the park’s first administrative building, and World War I surplus tents on wooden platforms were primarily used until the creation of the first permanent cabins in 1925.