atHOME with Monadnock Table Shinbone Shack From Riches to Ruins to Rescue

PULL QUOTE: The place where the original Shinbone Shack once stood has seen many a season. But more than a century later, the spirit of the beautiful property, conceived in the early 1900s in Stoddard, NH, remains intact. Ask around rural Stoddard, New Hampshire, and you'll uncover tales of a unique haven that went from riches to ruins to rescue. Its original name, dating back to the early 1900s, was the Shinbone Shack, a cabin in the town's deep forest overlooking a sprawling sawmill pond. &emsp;The cabin was the unexpected dream of a well-educated and well-traveled New Yorker, Florence Brooks, who somehow landed on Stoddard as the site for her country manor. In an article recounting the "shack's" full history, New Hampshire Magazine writer Marshall Hudson notes, "Brooks had inherited much of her family's fortune, enabling her to dream big, maintain a life of privilege, and be generously involved in philanthropic causes." &emsp;In Stoddard, Brooks poured her focus and finances into her seasonal property, using her charms to find a local husband (her fourth), Arthur Aten, who was willing to build her a cabin. Though he succeeded, the marriage did not, and the two split shortly after completion. But the cabin remained, dubbed the Shinbone Shack after a set of moose bones discovered during the build and added to the fireplace. &emsp;For Florence Brooks-Aten, this was just the beginning. She continued increasing her acreage at a feverish pace and started in on the construction of a great Adirondack Lodge where she could entertain. Extensive stonework, gardens and a restored dam at the pond were all among her projects. &emsp;But she would never see the dream brought to fruition. &emsp;When the stock market crashed in 1929, her enormous family fortune was, all at once, gone. &emsp;"She wound up living in a very modest house in Swanzey, and she was about to lose that because she had no income," says Joyce Healy, who is at the center of the Shinbone Shack's modern story. &emsp;We'd love to imagine that Brooks-Aten was part of the property's comeback at some point, but sadly, that was not the case. Instead, the great lodge sat unfinished, with a roof but little else, including windows. &emsp;"It kind of languished through the 30s and, in the 50s, was bought by a developer," Healy explains. &emsp;The developer's dream was to build and sell little cabins around the pond, offering the main lodge as a clubhouse. He constructed a larger dam, hoping to turn the pond into a lake, but even at that time, some restrictions could not be ignored. The Army Corps destroyed the dam, the owner's bankruptcy followed, and suddenly, the Shinbone Shack stood alone again. &emsp;During this time, townspeople would still come to fish the pond and revel in the strangeness and wonder of the abandoned property. One town elder Healy spoke with remembered bringing his girlfriend there to pick roses from the garden Brooks-Aten once created. &emsp;But it wasn't until the 70s, when Healy's brother-in-law and a group of investors bought the property, that it started to see some regular life again. Together, they untangled the messy legal history and brought the lodge up to snuff, remedying leaks and the like. But it was very, very rustic, right up to the point that Joyce Healy and her husband Don took ownership in the 90s. &emsp;"The lodge, which is the original building and almost 100 years old at this point, did not have any electricity — no generator and no solar until 2001," she says. &emsp;During fairytale summers and long weekends between Christmas and New Year's, the Healys and their family would play board games, huddle near the fire, and read themselves to sleep by Itty Bitty book lights. &emsp;"It was a wonderful, secluded retreat for the family, and we're part of a very large family with many cousins," Healy describes. &emsp;The lodge became the annual Thanksgiving destination, housing all the season's magic, scents and stories. &emsp;"Every year, Don would renovate something else and bring it more modern — but (keeping it) in the spirit of what it was," Healy notes. &emsp;They started with the main lodge, most notably giving it the breathtaking expanses of glass Brooks-Aten had imagined from the start. &emsp;"The flavor of the lodge is very much as it would have been," Healy says. &emsp;The couple also replaced plywood with wood going in the right grain and added underfloor heating along with other winterizing elements to turn it from a seasonal living space to a year-round home. In addition, they built a large space they call "the barn" and tackled each individual cabin, gently restoring and giving basic amenities, like bathrooms and small, lovely porches. &emsp;Sadly, the actual Shinbone Shack, which Healy was desperate to preserve, was beyond repair by the time their stewardship got underway. &emsp;However, she says, "We've brought it back with as much sensitivity as we can." And she believes Brooks-Aten would be pleased to see how it's all come together. &emsp;Today, the property is very much in keeping with the style and intent of the Adirondack Great Camps, with various cabins and a great room for meals and gatherings. &emsp;"Even with my own kids, they have their own cabin, and we visit back and forth, but we don't have to see each other before we brush our teeth in the morning," Healy says with a chuckle. &emsp;These days, the couple resides in the main lodge, though they are building a modern home in a nearby wooded area. Part of the impetus for a bit of separation is that the property, now known as Lakefalls, has also become a premier venue, where the Healys host a selective number of events each year. &emsp;"It's for us, our family, the neighborhood, and renting out enough to maintain it," she explains. &emsp;Each year, Lakefalls welcomes guests for a handful of large, three-day weddings, during which the immediate family and bridal party stay on-site, reveling in the place's beauty and time spent together. &emsp;The Healys also offer Lakefalls as the backdrop for several community events — the local church auction, the Stoddard Historical Society's annual picnic, the hospital's donor drive, and more. &emsp;"It's a great place, and we want to share it," Healy says. &emsp;Lastly, when there's not a larger event, the smaller cabins are made available through Airbnb so people can experience the property as a retreat from everyday life. Though autumn is most popular for weddings and stays because of the unbelievable foliage, Healy has found there's much to appreciate no matter the time of year. &emsp;This place where the original Shinbone Shack once stood has seen many a season. But more than a century later, the spirit remains intact. It seems to stir the same deep attachment in all who spend time there as it did for Florence Brooks-Aten when she first set foot in the woods of Stoddard once upon a time. &emsp;Learn more at lakefalls.com. PLEASE ADD THIS LISTING ANYWHERE THERE IS ROOM IN THIS SECTION: Fall Home & Garden Directory Bartsch Landscape Architecture 603-802-9559 bartschla.com Bartsch Landscape Architecture was established in 1999. David's project focuses are new and innovative interpretations of space and form through sustainable processes for light environmental impact, lasting user engagement, and ease of use and maintenance. The objective is to create beautiful, well-loved and durable places. 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