Mountain Lake House

[John Bonham]

I heard that the old Mountain Lake House has been knocked down and is being turned into a natural preserve. Anybody know if this is true?

[Bob L]

I heard that it was arson. Anybody know the truth

[TOMMY BOY]

I went by there this weekend and it is all gone except the rooms over by the pool and the pool itself

[Pete C]

Mt. Lake House was severely vandalized. One building, the dancehall, was burned down by vandals. All the other buildings were burned down on purpose in controlled burns by the Marshalls Creek Fire Co. The property is currently up for sale. There have been no takers so far. I'm as accurate a source of information as you will get on this matter. My grandparents started the resort in 1918.

[John Bonham]

Thanks for the info. That was such a cool place. I'd like to check it out for myself. Can you get on the grounds or is it blocked off?

[Pete C]

Well, there are several no-trespassing signs as you enter the place. However, I sort of think you wouldn't get into any big trouble if you drove in. They were strict about things when the buildings were still standing because they were worried about lawsuits, etc. Also, gas company workers use the entrance road all the time to get to work on that big gas pipeline that now runs near the back end of the property.

[John Bonham]

I will have to go see this. I spent many summers there as a kid about thirty years ago. They burned down everything? there had to be at least ten different buildings on the grounds.

[Pete C]

They burned down everything except the cement-block motel unit that was beyond the swimming pool, and the newer cement-block barn, located far up the hill. Everything else is gone. You may be interested in an article on the hotel on Wikipedia that I was surprised to see. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Lake_Ho...
Don't know who supplied the information for the article.

[John Bonham]

I didn't know there even was a barn. Is it up the road just past the main house where you go left to the staff buildings?

[Pete C]

The barn is well hidden. Yes, it is exactly where you described. You have to get on that road to where the staff buildings were and go pretty far back up the hill on the property, veering somewhat to the right. Let's say maybe 200 yards or so past where the staff buildings were. It is now concealed by trees. There should be an unpaved road to it. By the way, the cement barn we're talking about is actually the 2nd barn ever built on the property. The first barn was all wood. It was located on the same road we're talking about, only about 50 yards from the staff buildings.

[Pete C]

I think I'd better clarify the above directions a bit. When you get to the end of the main house and first make a left to start up the road we are talking about, you go roughly 50 yards up the hill and will come to a T in the road. If you turn left, you will go to the old staff buildings area. Instead, veer to the right and continue on an unpaved road roughly 200 yards up the hill and you will find the barn surrounded by trees.

[Kfree]

Hey, just found the thread. I used to in the late 70s and early 80s with my family. Anyone know whatever happened to Bob Siep? He was a blast. Bob would be drinking his Dewars and water and let me sit on the bench. Telling me the dirty jokes that I wasn't suppose to know.

Oh well, it is sad but the memories are happy ones.

[Pete C]

Sorry, don't know anything about Bob Siep. He was after my time. I worked there in the 50s. If you were there in the late 70s and early 80s, I'm guessing that Bob Huffman was probably managing the resort at that time. He's my cousin. I see him quite often. In case you haven't done so already, you can check out the Wikipedia article on MLH at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Lake_Ho... . If you click on "Discussion" at the top of that page, you'll see "#7-Additional history on the resort" that I contributed.

[kfree]

Thanks for the additional info. Does anyone have any pictures left? The few things I remember are probably long gone with the parents moving all over the place.

[Pete C]

You're probably right about the lack of pictures. I myself have none from the time period you remember. And interestingly, most of the comments and rememberences I read about are of that same time period - the 70s and 80s. I'm pretty old, and my memories of the place go back well before that time. Ha.

[JASON]

I can't believe what had happened. That place was so cool. It was the greatest thing to drive past that place. I used to think it was haunted. Sorry to hear it's gone.

[Milly]

I went there in the 60's and 70's. I have some great memories of that place. Everyone there was so nice and helpful. There was always something going on all day and the evenings were always eventful. Time takes its toll on everthing that is good. Do you know exactly when or why it had closed

[Pete C]

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Mountain_La... . Then look under #7, "Additional history on the resort," for a chronology of events. As to why the resort closed, well it was primarily because of a general decline in the resort industry in the Poconos over a period of many years. Unfortunately, many other Pocono resorts have also gone the way of Mt. Lake House.

[Mary]

Such a shame to know if was gone. My grandparents vacationed there every year and my parents went there on their honeymoon in 1953. They were on a postcard sold from the resort for many years. We have a number of pictures from their trip and our trips to see my grandparents. I also spent a week there with my son. Great memories.

[Kurt]

I used to lifeguard at Mountian Lake House, Tamiment and Unity House in the mid-late 80s. It was a little melancholic working in these places in their twilight but a lot of fun. My best youthful memories were the summer vacations in the poconos. It's quite sad when I visit my parents and see the old places falling apart and being sold off to property developers to be stripped forever.