Named after James P. Taylor, founder of the Green Mountain Club, the second Taylor Lodge was built in 1951 by members of the Burlington Section under the direction of Professor Buchanan, replacing a similar log structure that had burned the previous winter.
The 24-by-18-foot frame structure occupied the same site as its predecessor, and its special design combined features of both closed camp and open shelter to eliminate fire risk and reduce vandalism while providing improved comfort for overnight hikers.
The lodge featured a large open-face front porch with a railing and two cables, a door connecting to a semi-enclosed bunkroom accommodating up to 20 people, and bunk space reached by ladders under the roof ridge that used otherwise wasted space.
Wooden hatch-windows rather than glass further reduced damage risks, and the structure had no stove, thus minimizing fire hazard and the likelihood of boards being removed for firewood.
Construction began June 3, 1951, and was completed by July, with about 40 Section members and other volunteers participating under the supervision of Jack Lance.
On October 29, 1951, seventy-four hikers attended the dedication and cabin-shower party at the GMC’s Taylor Lodge, arriving about midday for lunch and inspection.
The lodge served the Long Trail community for twenty-six years.
On the morning of September 25, 1977, Taylor Lodge burned to the ground; the fire was discovered by an unidentified hiker, and though the Stowe Fire Department responded, they arrived too late to save the building.
GMC State Ranger-Naturalist Cecilia Elwert speculated that a fire in the stove left untended by a departing hiker, with an escaping spark or ember, had caused the blaze.
The lodge was rebuilt by the Burlington Section the following year with an open-front porch and enclosed bunkroom for twenty hikers, and notably without a wood stove.
Sources
- "Long Trail News." , no. November (1951).
- "Long Trail News." , no. May (1953).
- Long Trail Guide Book 1956 (1956). Green Mountain Club. 45.
- Long Trail Guide Book 1960 (1960). Green Mountain Club. 53.
- Trail Talk (Montpelier) 1966 (1966). Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. 1.
- Long Trail News 1970 (1970). Green Mountain Club. 7.
- Long Trail Guide Book. 20th Edition ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971.
- Ridgelines (Burlington) 1974 (1974). Burlington Section, Green Mountain Club. 3.
- Long Trail News 1975 (1975). Green Mountain Club. 1.
- Long Trail News 1975 (1975). Green Mountain Club. 10.
- "Long Trail News." , no. November (1977).
- Long Trail News 1978 (1978). Green Mountain Club. 5.
- Long Trail News 1978 (1978). Green Mountain Club. 4.
- Green Mountain Club. Long Trail Guide Book. 20 ed. Green Mountain Club, 1971. Pp. 59.
