Originally Posted - July 29, 2006

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WARREN COUNTY----You've heard the saying that good things come to those who wait?

Well, such is the case of the revitalization of Scaroon Manor, once a privately-owned sprawling resort area along the western shore of Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks, now a day use area owned by the state providing recreational opportunities for people of all ages.

The site was first known as Spirit's Point. Around 1880, the property was purchased by Charles F. Taylor, who made it into an elegant summer resort called Taylor's on Schroon. Taylor was one of a number of businessmen who recognized that the Schroon Lake area was ideal hiking, hunting and fishing country and he began to capitalize on it. Taylor built his hotel in the Schroon Valley, an extremely large and fertile farming area.

The estate was nestled in the rounded crests of mountains, part of a landscape of picturesque valleys that contained both open fields and dense forests. The waters of nine-mile long Schroon Lake lapped the shore of the 327-acre estate, whose guests enjoyed 8,360 feet of lake frontage. Nature lovers among the guests found a wide variety of trees, plants, shrubbery and wild flowers.

When the resort was created, this section of the Adirondacks had just begun to lure summer visitors. The scenery was breathtaking, the atmosphere different and the cuisine at hotels and boarding houses appealing. Travel was leisurely, although not always luxurious, and vacations were long. Plenty of horses, buggies and stagecoaches were available for transportation in addition to train service.

With the turn of the century, the area took on a different aspect. City dwellers seemed to find something in the mountains they could not grasp at seaside resorts. They liked the wide-open spaces ad the many recreational opportunities. There was no crowding in the Adirondacks. Patrons who retuned to the hotels year after year witnessed nearly a century of change, not only in transportation but also in industry. Before the turn of the century, the economic bulwarks of Colonial days disappeared. Lumbering, tanning, potash-burning and lime-making all declined. Farming became less profitable and people outside the industrial area began concentrating on the development of the tourist trade.

By 1900, the area's industrial proclivities had disappeared, never to be regained. The first visitors to Taylor's, no doubt arrived by stagecoach on roads (trails would be more accurate) cut through virgin wilderness. Until about 1882, "real coaches with top railings and spring cushions" as was advertised, trundled through the principal communities and the sparsely settled outlying regions. Horsecars came in 1885.

About 1900, the village began to improve their streets while the state built better thoroughfares. By 1907, US 9, the main road, once a planked highway from Glens Falls, became a paved turnpike. By 1915, with the introduction of the automobile, more and more people came to the area. The summer resort business boomed.

Business at Taylor's was such that the resort warranted a summer post office on the property. Taylor operated his hotel until his death and his son, Charles Jr., ran it until 1916 when he sold it to George C. Gobel, a New York lawyer. Gobel sold the resort in the 1920's to Joseph Frieber, a Hungarian-born New York City restaurateur. Frieber and his brother, William, practically rebuilt the resort, adding conveniences and renaming it Scaroon Manor. It had a capacity of 600 guests.

From 1930 to about 1952, Scaroon Manor was popular with young people. It also had wide appeal for honeymooners and many a Scaroon vacationer sought and found his or her mate there.

The property was cut in two by Route 9 and in addition to the manor, the property also included The Cedars, a main house and several cottages.

With the establishment of resort hotels in the Catskills, an area closer to New York City, the metropolitan clientele began to fall away. To take up the slack in business, Scaroon Manor concentrated on conventions and continued to prosper for several years. A magnificent garden was maintained. Flowers bordered many of the walks and plants enhanced the entrances to many of the buildings. Another popular feature was a picturesque, lake-rimmed, 500-seat amphitheater, which housed two orchestras. The acoustics were excellent, and every Saturday night during the summer, a musical revue was presented, followed by dancing. The revues featured Broadway entertainers and radio, stage and screen stars. In later years, Robert Merrill, the operatic baritone, spent several summers on the staff. IN the early years, the program was run as a vaudeville show but in time, productions became more elaborate with a troupe of chorus girls and singers engaged for the season. Novelty and comic acts were booked in advance, a variety show was held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and a concert was presented on Sundays.

The productions were presented in the amphitheatre on a revolving stage. The orchestra played on the side of the shell, a copy of the Hollywood Bowl. Footlights surrounded the stage and spotlights came from a booth above the audience. In inclement weather, the show was moved inside to a huge ballroom which had a fully equipped stage. The show was staged and directed by David Bines who also staged and lighted shows at the Palace Theater in New York. His wife, Ruth, did the choreograph. Among the performers were Red Skelton, Sophie Tucker, Harry Hershfield, Alan King, Morty Gunty, Joey Bishop, Morey Amsterdam, Myron Cohen, Jan Murray and the old-timers Smith and Dale. There was a social staff of 40 professionals. The night life of Scaroon Manor was restricted to guests and visitors with passes. However, one who was not vacationing at the manor could see the musical productions by having dinner at the hotel for $5, the price of a steak or lobster dinner. Many people from the Schroon Lake environs of Chestertown and Pottersville would try to sneak into the grounds but most outsiders were repelled by a contingent of private police.

Sportsmen from all over the country were also lured by the manor's facilities. Besides the hunting, fishing and hiking opportunities offered, nine championship tennis courts were maintained and were used on occasion for professional tournaments. In addition, a nine-hole golf course existed on the premises. There were handball courts, a baseball diamond, basketball courts and facilities for table tennis, roller skating, badminton, shuffleboard, bathing, boating and other diversions.

Just below on Route 9 was Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. Ausable Chasm was 60 miles north. Frontier Town was 14 miles north. East about 20 miles away was Fort Ticonderoga, Mt. Hope and Mt. Defiance and Storytown, now the Great Escape, was about 40 miles south.

The resort's motto was "Scaroon Loves You". Guests and visitors alike were continually reminded of this. Signs displaying the slogan were placed throughout the hotel and grounds and the elaborate dinner menu was heartshaped.

Scaroon Manor was designed to give a vacation that was the "Acme of Perfection". The dining room served breakfast, lunch and dinner and also offered low calorie or salt free diets on request. Every evening in the Dubonnet Room and Cocktail Bar there were trays of hors d'oeuvres served with cocktails or aperitifs with compliments of Scaroon.

The Dubonnet stayed open until 3 a.m. and in addition to fine wines and liquors, guests could purchase tobacco, newspapers and magazines, scenic views of the resort, find a coffee shop or an ice cream fountain.

In August, 1957, Scaroon Manor gained national recognition when Warner Brothers Studios used it as the locale for filming "Marjorie Morningstar". Thousands of people flocked to the manor to catch a glimpse of Gene Kelly, Natalie Wood and Ed Wynn, and hundreds of local people were employed as extras. Business soared.

Scaroon Manor was sold in 1960 to Brandt Brothers, operators of the Sagamore Hotel in Bolton Landing, and a chain of New York City movie houses. After running the business for two disappointing summers, the Brandts sold it to the State of New York.

The death of Scaroon Manor was a heavy blow to the economy of the Schroon Lake-Town of Chester area for the conventions and the hotel popularity had brought much business to the village. The Town of Chester, Schroon Lake Central School District and the Town of Schroon, lost nearly $12,000 a year in taxes when the state took possession, which they did in August, 1967 after obtaining a federal grant to help fund the purchase. Half the total cost was carried by the federal grant with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, known then as the Conservation Department, financing the remainder. It became part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve.

Thereafter, the state announced that it intended to use the area for a day use recreation area. Before this could be done, however, a total of 121 buildings were to be sold "as is".

The state ran a legal ad on Dec. 28, 1968, announcing that bids would be accepted. Included in the buildings were two story houses, cottages, camps, out buildings, sheds, living units and boiler houses. Also for sale was a restaurant building, a backstop erected on steel posts, a decorative fountain, a water tower and a hexagonal guardhouse.

Some building didn't receive a bid and on Feb. 15, 1969, the state burned the main house and small cottages at The Cedars and about 30 cottages on the Scaroon Manor property.

The property remained dormant for many years and there were efforts by the Towns of Schroon and Chester to put the property back on the tax rolls.

DEC finally developed a management plan for Scaroon Manor with input from local government, civic groups and residents. The plan, which was approved in August 2002, called for the construction of a day use area, campground and interpretive center to maintain, protect, and enhance the ecological, geological and historical values of the area, while also creating recreational opportunities.

Construction began in 2004 as a collaborative effort involving DEC, Warren County, the Town of Chester, the Town of Schroon, volunteers, and competitively bid private contractors. In addition to work on various facilities the project included reconstruction of the entrance road, construction of an entry control booth, and the installation of utilities, including a potable water supply, electricity, and telephone service.

The new Scaroon Manor comprises 241 acres in the towns of Chester, Warren County, and Schroon, Essex County, including 1,200 feet of shoreline on Taylor's Point on the western shore of Schroon Lake. The day use area, which complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, contains a beach, swimming area, large parking lot, bathhouse, and 58 picnic sites located in the pavilion and surrounding areas. It will be operated by the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The parking lot contains ample parking for all users of the Scaroon Manor Day Use Area, with designated parking spaces for persons with disabilities.

© 2006 North Country Gazette