[1] Built in 1903 as a summer estate for Congressman William Connell (1827-1909), the buildings of this historic property were designed in the Adirondack Great Camp style.

The main house is a 2+1⁄2-story frame dwelling with a cross gable roof.

It features two-story porches and an interior paneled in southern yellow pine.

After Connell's death in 1909, the estate was purchased by Louis Arthur Watres[2] for use as a summer home.

[3] In 1966, the property was deeded to a non-profit organization and subsequently used as a nature preserve, ecological field research station and public environmental education facility.