The chair was invented by Thomas Lee between 1900 and 1903 in Westport, New York, but was patented by his friend Harry C. Bunnell, who added some minor adaptations to make it more suitable for convalescents.

[2] The chairs were popularized in nearby tuberculosis sanatoriums, where they were favored for the way the armrests helped open up the sitter's chest.

[3][4] Adirondack chairs are now often made by injection molding and can take any form.

[7][8] If you go only slightly North of Muskoka, however, they are more commonly referred to as 'Bear Chairs', from the Bear Chair Company[9] based in South River, Ontario, who began creating wooden DIY versions in 1987.

At least one oversized chair has been built as tourist attraction for a gift shop.