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Sullivan County Resort History

Resort Industry in Liberty, NY area

Mementos of the resort industry...

Here are a few mementos of the once-thriving resort industry in Liberty and the area surrounding.  

 

Before the Borscht Circuit:

 

(Click on any of these photos to see an enlargement)

 

 

Hotel Wawanda card  

Above is a card from The Wawanda, once a large resort hotel in Liberty.

 

 

  Delaware River, circa 1910 -- Helen Cross wading  

Wading in the Delaware River circa 1910.  The Delaware (the river that forms the Western boundary of Sullivan County) was a day trip from Liberty in those days.  

 

 

The Era of the Great Resorts

 

Equestrian pursuits in Liberty in 1931

Equestrian pursuits, circa 1931.

 

Grossingers menu

Now, that's LUNCH!

 

  World barrel jumping championship at Grossingers -- competitor number 7

The resorts tried hard to hold onto their clientele, who were tempted by low airline fares and elaborate resorts in other countries and elsewhere in the United States.  One way was to provide something at the resorts that had not been there when the parents of the new generation had come to the Catskills.   Grossingers, for instance, hosted the World Barrel Jumping Championships (above is a competitor's number from that competition), and Rocky Marciano, then the World Heavyweight Champion, trained at the resort -- and both at the same time!

(Click on any of these photos to see an enlargement)

 

 

  Fire in a Liberty area resort  

Fire ultimately destroyed many of the old resorts.  Fortunately, very few of the truly destructive fires occurred when the resorts were full of staff and guests.  The fire shown in the picture above is one that was unusual in several respects.

 

Academic study of the Catskills:

Not everyone is aware that the area, particularly the parts of the Catskills that have historically been popular resort areas, is the subject of academic study now.  The Catskills Institute, hosted by Brown University, has collected and studies material from many sources.  Its purpose is "to promote Research and Education on the Significance of the Catskill Mountains for American Jewish Life."  If you're really interested in the Catskills' history as a resort area, you should not miss their comprehensive website. (There, you'll see an extensive bibliography, the opportunity to attend academic conferences about resort life, see listings of hotels and bungalows, and even the opportunity to join the Institute.)    Highly recommended!!  Click here to visit the Catskills Institute to visit it (but don't forget to come back!).

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Between the Lakes Group is located at 372 Between the Lakes Road, in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut.  More specifically, we're in Taconic -- a hamlet  in the Twin Lakes area of the Town of Salisbury.  Questions about us or about our products?  Go to our Frequently Asked Questions page.  

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