The other day I was surprised to get an email from the daughter of one of the owners of Schmitt's Mountain Resort (Pierce's Landing since 1994). With her permission I am posting the photos that she sent me!
My parent's bought Schmitt's December 1974 and ran it as a family resort until fall of 1985. They sold it to a family intending to run it as a resort, but I don't think they did well. It was a very consuming job. When my parent's bought it, they bought it from Adolf and Lena Schmitt, the original owners. I believe they were right from Germany. I heard recently that Adolf is still alive. But I find that hard to believe. They moved to a house up on Fox Town Hill behind what use to be the House of Ming. I doubt that restaurant is still there.
The best way I can explain living there, is if you ever saw the movie Dirty Dancing, that was it!
The public season ran from July 4thweekend to Labor Day. We also had weekend groups in the spring and fall. Mostly for family reunions, where they would rent out the entire place for just their family. We had entertainment 7 nights a week. Three full course family meals a day, and house keeping daily. (Did I mention how consuming?) There were always six waitresses/chambermaids, and two boys - they would act as grounds keepers, and dishwashers. We could tell the day of the week by what was being served to eat and by what nightly activity we were preparing for. At the time we lived there, there were six cabana's, 12 cabins, and 8 rooms in the Maple Cottage.
We lived in the main house. That is still standing. We had a large family, so we pretty much took residence in the 2nd floor.
The Rec Hall burnt down in the late 1980's. I'm not sure what is there now, if it's apartments or not, but there is a building there. I think I heard that the property was split and where the Maple Cottage is, is now separate from the property. Not sure if that is true. The property was originally an 8 acre farm. And the Maple Cottage was where cabins 1-4 but moved down the hill and converted into 8 rooms, was the original barn from the farm. That is probably the oldest building on the property.
I've attached a brochure from the late 1970's, a couple of pictures from "Masquerade Night" in the Rec Hall (early 70's), and a picture from our Labor Day party (I would say 1983 or 1984. Joan & Steve top row, the waitresses, me second from left, and our boy.) We would always get matching shirts that would say "Schmitt's Gang" for the last weekend. Between me and my one brother, we have the photo albums floating around somewhere of our events through out the years.
During the off season, the outside buildings were not insulated to run through the winter, it was quite and normal family life. As far as it being haunted, if there are any ghosts... they would be happy and just repeating good times (I would like to think). No one ever passed away there when we were there, and I never heard any stories of anyone passing away there. But I do ghost hunting as a hobby. I was just down in Gettysburg last weekend and investigated three properties. I don't think it takes a death or trauma to cause a haunting. I would like to believe that if there were happy memories, that a spirit would like to replay those memories.
Minisink Hills has a lot of history. There was an old boys camp up on the hill by the church. As kids, we use to go up and well, definitely not party up there <wink>. At the bottom of the hill just before the grate bridge, I think that is Gap View, was a roller skating rink called Carmen's. Best floor ever to skate on. It was opened on Friday nights, and my friends and I were there just about every Friday night. If I've been keeping up with some of the old neighbors, brother and sister Rick and Samantha Strunk own the Minisink Hotel now. Their parents, Rick and Marie Strunk lived in the house next to the resort. Across the street from Schmitt's was Mrs. Zimmerman, she had a Doberman and a Dachshund that was hilarious. Her nephews lived next to her, and then the DeHaven's next to them. Back in the 1970's neighbors were neighbors. We all knew each other. OH, and in the flood of '55, the resort was spared. The water came up to just below the property where Maple Cottage is.
Not sure if you knew about the sand pit. But on Gap View drive, just below Schmitt's was a sand pit. We use to dig out fossils and arrow heads by the bucket full from there. Some time in the 1950's the state was purchasing a lot of land in that area to build a damn called Tocks Island. It never panned out. You can google that story. Anyway, that sand pit was dug out for part of that project. That tree you found with all the carvings, we use to call the Love Tree. There's a great craving of a face on it. My whole family have added to it too at some point or another. There was actually a path that ran from behind cabin 8 down to the pond. The pond, as you know, was the original pool for the resort and featured the best filtration system (which consisted of a screen that was cleaned daily on the in-let side). I was sort of heart broken when they filled that in. I see there is a house down there now. I do have some pictures of the pond, just not scanned in. In fact, there is one hanging on my wall upstairs. It was one of my "quiet, happy" places to go and just sit behind the pond and veg out by the creek.
Well, I've seem to have been blabbering on and on. Sorry about that. After Thanksgiving, when I go up to my old creepy attic to get some Christmas decorations out, I'll see if I can find those photo albums. I would love to come down and see what's been done with the place. What do the new owners do with the main house now? Being that was where I grew up, I would be very interested in that building.
I think it is great that you are taking interest in history. History is what makes up, and can not be forgotten.
Note: I will be posting more of our correspondence soon!
