At the turn of the 20th century, Troy, NY hosted a large citizenry of working women making their living as shirt collar makers and mill workers in the local textile industry.

Mary saw first-hand how modern life could wear on her neighbors. As the daughter of a local industrialist and member of the Troy Young Women’s Association, she was attuned to the challenges of working long hours in the mills (sweltering in the summer months), as well as unique stresses to immigrant workers adapting to life in the industrial northeast.

Mary endeavored to create a place on nearby Lake George for women to renew themselves and uplift each other in nature. Securing financing from her friend Katrina Trask (founder of Yaddo, the artists’ retreat in Saratoga Springs) and others, Fuller bought the Crosybside estate, a verdant lakeside tract replete with wetlands that sat just across the water from Fort William Henry.

On that land in 1903—the same year Lake George Village was incorporated—Mary established Wiawaka Center for Women as an affordable nature and arts retreat for the working women of Troy and beyond.

Under Mary’s guidance, Wiawaka established a program of weekly events and evening lectures that continues to this day, making Wiawaka the longest continually operating women’s retreat center in the country.

The LGLC is proud to partner with Wiawaka to protect 47 acres of forested uplands across from the historic lakefront property. Through the purchase of a conservation easement, the LGLC will make sure this land remains as it was when Wiawaka was established 120 years ago: a place of respite and rejuvenation through immersion in nature.

About Us