Invention

• Thomas Lee was vacationing in Westport at a home called Stony Sides that reportedly did not have enough patio furniture for his family. He began experimenting with designs and created the Adirondack chair.
  
  

Design

• His design was completely made of wood with a backward-slanting seat and wide armrests.
  
  

Production

• Lee showed his design to carpenter Harry Bunnell, who began producing the chairs. Bunnell secretly applied for a patent for the "Westport chair" in 1905.
  
  

Characterstics

• Bunnell used hemlock to build his chairs and painted them dark brown or green. He signed each one. Eventually they became known as "Adirondack" chairs, named for the region where they were invented.
  
  

Value

• An original Bunnell Adirondack chair, which cost just $4 a century ago, is worth $1,200 today.
  
  

Modern Variations

• Today Adirondack chairs are available in multiple styles, including benches and rocking chairs.