Pococabana Lodge destroyed by fire

(All that's left of Pococabana - photo: Chris Francz)

Posted Oct 28, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Pocono Record

Q: What ever happened to the Pococabana Lodge? I worked there one summer during high school.

T.S.

Dewey, Ariz.

A: The Pococabana Lodge's main building, which had been the hub of the 28-acre resort in Smithfield Township, burned in April 1973, leaving only the out-buildings standing but operational.

After the fire, the owner of the summer resort had planned to rebuild, but he was unable to reclaim the clientele that the lodge had once served, and business went downhill.

In 1976, the Pococabana became the first motel in the area to show X-rated movies via closed-circuit television. Less than a year later, the movies were abandoned for one of the latest fads — the all-water diet.

The Pococabana name remained listed in telephone books through 1982.

************************************************

Note from Chris:

(When my family first moved to the Poconos in 1978 my mother drove me and my brother and sister around a lot to check out things. Pococabana, or what's left of it, looked as it does today. Though no one would call it a "fat farm" today, that's what my mom told me it was in 1978.) 

Minisink Hotel and Pococabana

I am always doing online searches for photos related to Minisink Hills, PA. The top photo is the largest image I could find  of this postcard for the Minisink Hotel. The matchbook cover is an amazing find! The lower photos are postcards for Pococabana. See earlier posts about that once amazing and huge resort. All that remains are a few buildings used for apartments. Pococabana...its remains were / are located along side Route 209 between Eilenberger Drive and Buttermilk Falls Road. Note: The matchbook cover lists the address as Route 402 / Shawnee Road. I'm not sure why. Route 402 is miles away and there is no longer a Shawnee Road. The times sure have changed!

Some interesting things...

Please click for full-size image...

Pococabana in Minisink Hills, PA

The Pococabana was a gigantic resort that existed from the 1950's to 1970's. Most of it burned to the ground in 1973. Some of the out building survived and are now apartments. I took this photo of one of the surviving buildings. It's kind of sad to see these photos side by side. I wil definitely be posting more about the Pococabana in the future. You can see the remaining buildings on both sides of Route 209 about 1/4 mile before Buttermilk Falls Road.