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By LANE FILLER lfiller@leader.net
Sunday, March 09, 2003 Page: 1B
Years ago, a trip to Harveys Lake could take the good part of a day. Roads
to the then-rustic lake were bad, the horse-drawn coach uncomfortable.
But then came the train, followed by the trolley, followed by the car – all
bringing a flow, and migration, of people that would continue for more than a
century.
Lots of people. So many that the lakefront, which once embraced visitors,
is now reserved for those who stake a financial claim through memberships in
beach associations or the purchase of homes.
Max Rosenn remembers how he and his family used to ride the train from
their Kingston home.
“It was a big adventure,” said Rosenn, who recently turned 93 and is now
a U.S. Court of Appeals judge. “We swam at the Picnic Grounds, which were
public, and the crowds and journey were thrilling for a young boy.”
Rosenn would later buy a house on the lake, and keep it for more than half
a century.
And the Picnic Grounds?
They eventually became Hanson’s, which, over time, would boast a dance
hall, a beach, boat slips, carnival rides and a restaurant.
The last dance at Hanson’s Ballroom took place in August 2002. This summer,
the only activity at Hanson’s will be the rental of boat slips, and this will
probably be the last year for those as well.
Shirley Hanson expects to close on the sale of Hanson’s within the next 30
days. Maryland developer Dan Williams plans to build approximately 140 homes
on the property, priced at about $200,000 each.
Shirley, who has lived at the lake for 42 years, said, “It was a gradual
change, over that time. The amusement park became less and less feasible, and
more and more expensive. We turned our beach into boat slips, partially
because we had to have the insurance and the lifeguards for the swimmers.”
The place that in 1887 seemed so hard to get to is now easy to reach but
fairly exclusive.
A state-owned public boat ramp provides the only free access to the water
for non-residents. A few restaurants and stores survive, serving those who
rent and own homes – and those who seek a view with their food.
It started with a picnic area, open to anyone willing to spend a few cents
for a train ride. This next, perhaps final, chapter, will bring townhouses,
open to anyone with $200,000.
SUBHED: Journey to leisure times
In 1891 the Lehigh Valley Railroad Picnic Grounds opened on Harveys Lake.
The grounds fit naturally into the railroad’s plans: The company owned the
line that served the lake, and had sent out its first train from the Wyoming
Valley to the north corner of the lake four years earlier.
Once the trains started rolling, the area began to boom as a pleasure spot
for summer travelers. On July 4, 1895, more than 7,000 people visited the
lake, according to newspaper accounts of the day.
The advent of trolley service from Public Square to Oneonta Station in 1898
further popularized the lake, and a weekend summer day in 1900 would find as
many as 20,000 people cavorting in and out of the water. The trolley service
was incredibly popular: By 1912, the cars departed every 40 minutes.
The lake provided recreation for more than just Valley residents. A
round-trip ticket from New York City to Harveys Lake cost $7.95 in 1916.
Businesses sprung up to serve the hungry, thirsty and weary. Several major
hotels prospered, the most famous being the Oneonta. Restaurants thrived, and
the picnic ground changed, adding an amusement park in 1908-09.
Visitors to the lake could still swim at public beaches, but they could
also bowl, play arcade games and dance to live music.
The last regularly scheduled passenger train ran to Harveys Lake in March
1936. Occasionally, special train excursions ran after that, but less and less
frequently as the years passed. The actual rail line went out of commission in
December 1963.
SUBHED: Moving to exclusivity
In 1939, trolley service to the lake ceased and bus service began. The
Dallas Highway, now known as the Memorial Highway, was completed and dedicated
in July 1942, and the gas rationing of World War II kept the buses busy and
private cars parked at home.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad Picnic Grounds were sold to John Redington in
1923, while the Wintersteen family controlled the rides. In 1935, John Hanson
acquired control of both, and Hanson’s was born.
The property lived on, and changed, as did Harveys Lake itself. Hanson
operated a drive-in movie theater on the property from 1948-50. Speedboats
became a part of the operation and eventually what had been a public beach
became a campground and marina. The business remained in the family, and after
the death of John Hanson, his son Donald ran it with his wife, Shirley.
In 1980, the roller coaster at Hanson’s closed due to structural damage. In
1984, the amusement rides were sold. Still, the campground, marina and
ballroom continued on, even after the death of Donald Hanson in 1990.
The last public beach on Harveys Lake, Sandy Bottom, became a private
association beach in 1984.
It was the beginning of the end of impromptu trips to the lake – except for
those willing to pay for their own piece of its shoreline.