﻿July, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  245 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  I'd 
  like 
  to 
  go 
  

  

  Where 
  bells 
  don't 
  ring 
  nor 
  whistles 
  blow, 
  

   Nor 
  clocks 
  don't 
  strike, 
  nor 
  gongs 
  don't 
  sound, 
  

   And 
  I'd 
  have 
  stillness 
  all 
  around." 
  

  

  T 
  WAS 
  a 
  beautiful 
  day 
  in 
  September 
  when 
  

   the 
  autumnal 
  tints 
  were 
  beginning 
  to 
  show 
  

   their 
  radiance 
  under 
  the 
  glistening 
  sun, 
  

   that 
  my 
  host 
  and 
  I 
  landed 
  at 
  the 
  little 
  sta- 
  

   tion 
  at 
  Shokan, 
  in 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  Catskills. 
  

   Here 
  one 
  obtains 
  the 
  first 
  impression 
  of 
  the 
  

   grandeur 
  and 
  beauty 
  of 
  the 
  Catskill 
  Moun- 
  

   tains, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  here 
  that 
  a 
  cluster 
  of 
  mountains 
  are 
  seen, 
  in- 
  

   cluding 
  the 
  famous 
  High 
  Point, 
  Hanover, 
  Balsam, 
  Mount 
  

   Cornell 
  and 
  Wit- 
  

   tenberg, 
  Cross 
  

   Mountains 
  and 
  Sam- 
  

   uel 
  Point. 
  Every- 
  

   where 
  in 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  

   Rip 
  Van 
  Winkle 
  the 
  

   scenery 
  is 
  pictur- 
  

   esquely 
  beautiful 
  and 
  

   independently 
  grand, 
  

   but 
  nowhere 
  has 
  

   Mother 
  Nature 
  been 
  

   more 
  lavish 
  with 
  her 
  

   charms 
  than 
  in 
  this 
  

   place. 
  It 
  is 
  called 
  

   "The 
  Gateway 
  of 
  the 
  

   Catskills." 
  Witten- 
  

   berg 
  Park 
  is 
  five 
  

   miles 
  away 
  in 
  a 
  

   southwesterly 
  direc- 
  

   t 
  i 
  o 
  n 
  from 
  Shokan, 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  pleasant 
  

   little 
  hamlet 
  with 
  

   churches 
  and 
  shops. 
  

   The 
  way 
  leads 
  up 
  

   through 
  the 
  beautiful 
  

   Watson 
  Hollow, 
  on 
  a 
  

   good 
  road 
  for 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  two 
  miles, 
  

   where 
  we 
  turn 
  

   sharply 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  

   with 
  our 
  faces 
  

   toward 
  Wittenberg. 
  

   The 
  picture 
  now 
  pre- 
  

   sented 
  to 
  our 
  view, 
  

   on 
  either 
  hand, 
  is 
  

   one 
  of 
  varied 
  mag- 
  

  

  Rugged 
  Steps 
  with 
  Cobblestone 
  Balustrade 
  Give 
  Access 
  to 
  " 
  Moonhaw 
  Lodge" 
  

  

  nificence. 
  The 
  first 
  mile 
  of 
  the 
  drive 
  is 
  spent 
  in 
  the 
  land 
  

   of 
  civilization, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  moments' 
  stretch 
  and 
  after 
  

   rounding 
  a 
  curve 
  in 
  the 
  road, 
  a 
  little 
  schoolhouse 
  is 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  among 
  a 
  cluster 
  of 
  big 
  maples, 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  sur- 
  

   rounded. 
  For 
  the 
  next 
  mile 
  we 
  pass 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  farm- 
  

   houses, 
  which 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  dot 
  the 
  hillsides, 
  or 
  nestle 
  in 
  a 
  

   valley 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  some 
  beautiful 
  stream. 
  The 
  last 
  two 
  

   miles 
  of 
  the 
  drive 
  is 
  through 
  a 
  depression, 
  between 
  Mount 
  

   Cornell 
  and 
  Wittenberg, 
  which 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  all 
  noted 
  

  

  fishermen 
  as 
  Ket- 
  

   cham's 
  Hollow. 
  

   Passing 
  along, 
  with 
  

   Wittenberg 
  always 
  in 
  

   sight, 
  with 
  her 
  mas- 
  

   sive 
  head 
  lifting 
  itself 
  

   majestically 
  above 
  

   the 
  tree 
  tops, 
  we 
  

   come 
  to 
  the 
  entrance 
  

   of 
  Wittenberg 
  Park, 
  

   in 
  which 
  "Moonhaw 
  

   Lodge" 
  is 
  built. 
  

   Wittenberg 
  Park 
  em- 
  

   braces 
  within 
  its 
  ter- 
  

   ritorial 
  area 
  all 
  of 
  

   the 
  old 
  estate 
  which 
  

   was 
  once 
  the 
  paradise 
  

   of 
  the 
  M 
  o 
  o 
  n 
  h 
  a 
  w 
  

   tribe 
  of 
  Indians, 
  and 
  

   formed 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  

   tract 
  of 
  land 
  deeded 
  

   by 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  white 
  

   men 
  in 
  1746. 
  It 
  was 
  

   here 
  they 
  lived 
  in 
  all 
  

   their 
  characteristic 
  

   laziness 
  and 
  savage 
  

   glory. 
  The 
  moun- 
  

   tains 
  were 
  clothed 
  

   with 
  primeval 
  forests 
  

   which 
  abounded 
  with 
  

   game, 
  and 
  the 
  

   streams 
  were 
  filled 
  

   with 
  fish, 
  both 
  of 
  

   which 
  they 
  took 
  with- 
  

   out 
  fear 
  of 
  conten- 
  

   tion, 
  until 
  the 
  crack 
  

  

  