In 2003, after years of negotiations, the Open Space Institute, a nonprofit conservation organization, purchased the non-industrial parts of Tahawus Tract from National Lead, including the old ghost town site (known to most as the Upper Works). The old forge and the MacNaughton Cottage were preserved, and the rest of the old town was torn down. The dead end of the road is now the trailhead for hikes up Mount Marcy (via Lake Tear of the Clouds) and to places like Henderson Lake, which had been privately owned since 1826 but are now open to the public. Of the 10,000 acres purchased by the Open Space Institute, 6,000 are being co-managed with the state to maintain and improve public access to the natural areas, and 3,500 acres will remain as working forest.