Credits:Courtesy of the Carmel Historical Society
MAHOPAC, N.Y. —Mahopac News and the Carmel Historical Society are teaming up to share stories from the Mahopac history. Here is the first in our series.
The Bygone “Hotel Era” of Lake Mahopac
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One hundred and seventy-five years ago, the approaching summertime scene around Lake Mahopac was a very different one indeed. Our little village drew thousands of vacationers seeking escape from the bustling city, recreation on the tranquil lake and the quiet country setting. Beginning in 1834, the first hotel, the Lake Mahopac House, opened its doors to these mostly seasonal visitors. This hotel, built by Stephen Monk stood at the corner of East Lake Boulevard and Croton Falls Road. After a fire in 1857, new owner Dr. Lewis Gregory added 17 acres to his holdings and a large boarding house was erected in place of the old Lake Mahopac House. The new Gregory House was the first grand hotel and was very interactive with the lake, having many docks and boats. Luxurious tours on the lake were available on the steam-powered vessel, the Dew Drop, which included an occasional brass band. This first-class hotel burned to the ground in 1878.
Other hotels and boarding houses sprang up over the years. The Thompson House built in 1851 by Nathan Thompson occupied the location where White Sail and Four Brothers’ Restaurant are today. The hotel burned to the ground in 1869 and was rebuilt. In 1883, under new owner Emerson Clark, docks, billiards, a ballroom and a bowling alley was added for up to 400 guests. The front porch was 22 feet wide and 440 feet long, around three sides. Boat rentals were at Erickson’s Boat Livery. With the arrival of the railroad in 1871, hundreds came every summer. The Thompson House was eventually renamed the Hotel Mahopac and continued to thrive into the 1950s. The five-story, 100-room hotel burned in April 1964.
Amzi Dean built a boarding house at the southwest corner of the lake in 1852. The Dean House gradually enlarged, making it one of the largest hotels on Lake Mahopac. The Dean House included the outdoor luxuries of tennis, boating, well-groomed gardens, cottages and a nine-hole golf course. A lookout tower on top of Barrett Hill allowed guests to enjoy the panoramic views. The Dean House was bulldozed in 1971.
The Forest House was built in 1893 by J. Prior Rorke on the isthmus between Lake Mahopac and Kirk Lake on 27 acres known as Interlaken. It was a three-story hotel with 100 rooms for 125 guests. A series of walks among the rock foundations in between the two lakes was known as “the Ramble”. It included overlooks, rest areas, a staircase named “Jacob’s Ladder” and a fountain called “Minnomah Spring”. The Forest House catered to the wealthy and offered suites and drawing rooms adorned with fine art. In 1929, Louis S. Dean (of the Dean Hotel) bought the hotel and in 1935 sold it to his sons. It burned in January 1940, then owned by L.H. & Rebecca (Silver) Jackson. It was rebuilt in brick by Benjamin Silver and operated year-round. It was torn down in the late 1980s.
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Other popular resorts included the Carpenter Hotel, the Viault Cottage and the Ardsleigh Hotel. The Ardsleigh, which burned down on March 1st, 1969, was located where Restivo Chiropractic is today on Route 6N. The Ardsleigh’s lakeside restaurant is today’s Lake House Restaurant.
Visitors to Lake Mahopac from New York City traveled by rail. From Manhattan, they rode the New York and Harlem Railroad from Grand Central Terminal. Either they could take the train to Goldens Bridge, get off there, walk across the platform, and get on the 7.22-mile branch line through Somers directly into downtown Mahopac. Or they could take the train to Croton Falls and enjoy a horse-drawn coach ride up Croton Falls Road into town. Drawing many onlookers, spectacular coach races frequently occurred between those serving different hotels.
Over the years, with the advent of the automobile and air travel, city dwellers' vacation options grew exponentially. The flow of visitors to the hotels fizzled. Today, residents now enjoy the beautiful lake that was once a popular getaway for hotels full of guests from a Mahopac bygone era.
Brian Vangor
Vice President, Town of Carmel Historical Society
With the assistance of the Greg Amato archives
#01 Stephen Monk’s Lake Mahopac House – circa 1849
#02 The Forest House – circa 1930
#03 The Forest House Minnomah Spring – circa 1900
#04 The Forest House Wait Staff – circa 1957 – standing 3 rd from right is Barbara Lacina Bosch, an active member of today’s Carmel Historical Society.
#05 The Dean House tennis court along Route 6N
#06 The Ardsley House Lakeside Restaurant – circa 1941
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