In Liberty, a Walnut Mountain House trail

By Lilly Lynker | Manor Ink

Liberty, NY – The first hotel built in Liberty, the renowned Walnut Mountain House, is again the talk of the town with the inauguration of a new historical trail at Walnut Mountain Park on Walnut Mountain Road. Although little remains of the grand hotel built in 1887, the new trail leads to the foundation of the building while telling the story of the hotel with a series of explanatory panels.

The trail is about one half mile to the summit where the hotel sat until 1913, when a catastrophic fire partially destroyed it. The photos and descriptions on the panels along the way bring you back to the grand hotel’s era of carriages, sumptuous picnics and elaborate dinners, clean mountain air and vistas that are still here for us to enjoy.

Lisa Lyons of Morgan Outdoors of Hurleyville kicked off the event by thanking the many persons who gave much time and effort over several years to bring the project to fruition. Those included Town of Liberty Supervisor Frank DeMayo, the Liberty Museum, the Liberty Library, many local historians, Sullivan 180 and, in particular, local resident Ruth Huggler.

DeMayo followed, citing the Liberty Dept. of Parks and Recreation, lead by Nick Rusin and Mitch and Mike Juron, for its work in getting the site ready and panels installed.

Lyons explained that she was inspired to spearhead the project by an old, colorized postcard of the hotel she had seen and dreamed of what the patrons may have experienced as she led hikes up the mountain over the last 20 years. She said everything started to click when she connected with Huggler who showed her a picture of workers building the hotel, including Huggler’s great great grandfather, William Gerow. “My jaw just dropped,”said Lyons, “as I looked at the faces and tools of the workmen, and the immaculate staff of ladies behind them in long white skirts.” Much additional research was done to verify the particulars of the photo which turned up more photos and newspaper accounts of the history of the hotel.

Additional help then came from many others, especially Sullivan 180 founder Sandra Gerry who supported the project as part of her organization’s mission to improve community health.

The Liberty Central School also embraced the project as important local history. Its Interact Club and Honor and Junior Honor Societies pitched in before the opening by clearing downed tree limbs, picking up glass and other trash, and removing vegetation to expose the old foundation and make the site pristine for the first visitors.