View From Former Catskill Mountain House !

If any of you come to visit during Spring,Summer or Fall we can do the easy hike to this ledge...its one of the most amazing sites I have seen 30 miles of the Hudson river and valley..the mountain house is long gone...it still existed in 1907 when this postcard was mailed !

Isn't it sad that these stately hotels are long gone. The last year for the hotel was 1941 (just before World War II).

Here's an disturbing image of the same building in a dilapidated state in 1953 ... it was intentionally burned down by the State Conservation Department in 1963:

WT1 what I think about is we jump in the car and within 40 minutes we are there up in the mountains....the hotel guests used to have to take the train from New York City to Catskill and then a stage coach to get up the mountain ..hardy souls !!

A really interesting comparative, and an unfortunate end to a gorgeous building, bummer. I am a Carpenter in the film and television industry here in Canada, and often times we are asked to build new sets that look old and dilapidated, very similar to the second image. It usually takes much more work to make something look like it has been in the wind and rain for 100 years than something new and swanky. Building walls that aren't plumb, floors that aren't level and rooms that aren't square completely goes against what are fundamentals for every Carp.

I really like the idea of the 'then and now', could be a very interesting topical subject! I also wonder if the place had become so haunted with ghosts that they had to burn it?

Nice One Philb

Thank you Skilo, probably by the 1960's kids were using it as a party place and it probably became a danger..If you want to Google Kaaterskill Falls which is a short hike from the ledge..i do not have a postcard at present but there are many...the parkies do not really like to tell people how to get there as it seems every year or two a high school kid will get too close and die in a fall !

What a gorgeous old mansion! It's shame it went to shambles like that.

Skilo I too was a carpenter for many many years and couldn't imagine having to intentionally build a messed up floor or wall..Sacrilegious! I can only just imagine the conversation on set there between you all- "Hey! this wall is too plumb now what??"