Our History
And the effort to save Stevenson's home
Opened in 1916, the Cottage is the world's first site and finest collection dedicated to Stevenson. The all-volunteer museum needs donations to preserve the historic building and secure the institution's future.
And the effort to save Stevenson's home
Cost of Urgent repairs: $300,000
Full building restoration: $2 million
1855
"Baker Cottage" is built
First built in 1855 by Col. Milote Baker, “Baker Cottage,” as it was known, was the primary residence of prominent early settlers Andrew and Mary Baker for 58 years. Andrew Baker’s Adirondack guide business
Robert Louis Stevenson—the sickly, adventurous Scottish author of Treasure Island, Jekyll & Hyde, Kidnapped, A Child's Garden of Verses, and many other great works—lived at Baker Cottage in Saranac
1887-1888
Stevenson heals at the Cottage
Click to Expand
1894 -Stevenson's passes away
Museum History
From Stevenson to today
Post-Stevenson
1915
The Stevenson Society is founded
The Stevenson Society of America formed in 1915 and opened the cottage as a museum the following year—the world’s first site dedicated to the author. Organizers included Associated Press founder Charles
Opened in 1916, the Cottage is the world's first site and finest collection dedicated to Stevenson. The all-volunteer museum needs donations to preserve the historic building and secure the institution's future.
1916
The museum opens
1925
The Stevenson Society buys the Cottage
Beginning with John F. Delahant Sr. in 1953, to his wife Maude Delahant, his son John “Jack” F. Delahant Jr., and down to his grandson Mike Delahant, who has served as resident curator since 1980, this family has
1980
Mike Delahant becomes resident curator
The newly formed Society arranged to rent rooms from the Baker family as an exhibit and purchased the house ten years later in 1925 as a permanent home for the collection, which grew considerably as Stevens . . .
1953
The Delahant family take the reins
Following his father and grandparents, Mike Delahant (75) took on this role in 1980, expecting only to stay for a short time. “But 45 years later here I am,” he said, “I, too, seem to have fallen under the Stevenson spell.”
2023
building repairs, the Stevenson Society formed a new board in 2023. Trenton B. Olsen, associate professor of English at BYU-Idaho and editor of The Complete Personal Essays of Robert Louis Stevenson, was named president.
In 2024, the Stevenson Cottage was one of only 71 institutions in America to receive funding for an initial preservation assessment from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. “The cottage is in extremely poor condition,” the resulting report stated, “and it is critical that efforts be initiated to protect the
2024
structure.” The board has since replaced a failing roof and secured state and regional grants for additional architectural study and building repairs. The most urgent repairs (foundation, interior, masonry, upper-level carpentry, site drainage) will cost $300,000 beyond what the all-volunteer museum has raised. Full restoration of the cottage, built in 1855 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will cost approximately $2 million.
The effort Today
With no money, plans for Delahant's eventual replacement, or means to address emergency-level
Before his Pacific adventure, Stevenson wrote from the cottage, “I will play big.” With your help, we too can play big: save a cultural treasure and finally fulfill the potential of one of the great literary sites in America.
Donate at the link below or mail a donation to:
The Stevenson Society of America
44 Stevenson Lane
Saranac Lake, NY 12983
The Stevenson Society of America is a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization:
All donations are tax-deductible.