It remained a humble farmhouse until 1892, when large addition was built onto the front of the house. The purpose of the addition was to allow the building to accommodate guests as the "Flatbrook Hotel".
The Flatbrook Hotel operated for a number of years before being renamed the Delaware View House in the 1900's. In 1926 it closed and was reopened as "Salamovka", a Russian resort.
After a terrible flood in 1955, the US army Corp of Engineers proposed the construction of a new dam at Tocks Island. Tocks was a small, unoccupied landmass a short way up the river. After the project was approved, hundreds of historic structures in the Delaware Water Gap were vacated. However, the project never came to fruition. It was stalled after a few hundred buildings had already been demolished. The land, peppered with a handful of remaining historic buildings, was given to the state.
The Delaware View House sat vacant until 1990, when the building was leased out as general store. The goal was to begin to breathe new life into the blighted buildings that still stood in the national park. The new owner signed a 40 year lease, ensuring the building would not continue to deteriorate.
That all came to an end in 2009, when a seven year old girl was electrocuted after activating bear repellant device at the house. The operator of the store was arrested, and the building was once again vacated.
In 2015, after significant vandalism had played most of the historic buildings in the water gap, the NPS launched an initiative to dispel trespassing at the old buildings. Many people were contacted and told to remove their photos from various websites. The rangers that patrol the park began issuing tickets to anybody caught trespassing. While visitors are allowed to roam the park and learn about the history, the buildings are closed to the public. It is illegal to enter any of the condemned structures. Don't say I didn't warn ya....
This is why we can't have anything nice.
ReplyDeleteNever made it to the Gap but my brother used to camp there.