St. Francis Health Resort and Convent

The land along Diamond Spring Road at the corner of Pocono sure looks a lot different now than it ever has in the past. What is now a sprawling modern senior care center started as a health resort all the way back in 1895. Thats when the Order of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother purchased 200 acres of land and began the St. Francis Health Retreat.

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At the time the health resort started there were only a few structures on the land. The most prominent was the Glover Mansion, which at the time was already 75 years old. The retreat was founded around a man named Father Joseph Joch who was administering the "Kneipp Water Cure". St Francis was the first place on the east coast to offer such treatment. Joch, who was born in Austria, and seven Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother traveled all the way from Wisconsin to establish the community in Denville.

Denville was a very different town at the inception of the St Francis community. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even a town yet. It took until April of 1913 for the town to formally be incorporated. It is said by many long time residents of Denville that St. Francis was responsible for the town being founded in the first place. 

The community did a lot of farming on the land to sustain themselves. They even had their own boiler and steam system to heat the buildings during the harsh winter months.

The retreat was extremely successful. By the middle of the century the facility was drawing A list celebrities such as Judy Garland, Charlie Chaplan and Frank Sinatra according to multiple online sources. 

As time went on "water cures" were falling out of fashion, so around 1978 the health resort started to transition to senior care. I imagine it was around this time that much of the bland modernization work was done inside. 

The distinct interior of the Glover Mansion was almost entirely covered over or demolished during this time. In the early 1980's a new wing was added between Pocono Road and the chapel. This was the last large scale construction project the campus ever saw. 

Despite no longer offering resort services St. Francis was still a critical fixture for the town. I first remember hearing about the facility from the Hometown Tales podcast, where it was mentioned several times. One of the hosts served on the town council in Denville, and spoke fondly of the complex and the fundraising events they were holding at the time. 

Residents were shocked in June of 2021 when news broke that the facility was sold and set to close. A month later the sisters announced they were transferring the facility to a senior care company called Springpoint. 

At first the new owners claimed there were no firm plans for the campus. Locals scrambled to try and get the buildings landmarked in an effort to protect them from development. Unfortunately plans for a total demolition of the complex and construction of a new facility were announced shortly afterwards. 

Following the announcement, the movie "the Home" was filmed inside the buildings. The plot depicts a fictionalized St Francis as a horrible, sinister place full of secrets. It's really regrettable that this is how so many people are going to learn of the place, which offered so much to so many for so long. 

I found out about the complex's uncertain future right after the movie wrapped up. The following morning I got up early, grabbed my camera, and headed out the door. It was an exceptionally quiet and peaceful morning. I felt a great sense of calm as I walked the path off the road towards the gorgeous chapel. 

Sure enough I was able to slip inside quickly. It was really eerie wandering around alone inside the building. It had been used so recently, and was so full of stuff it really felt like I could come around the corner to an angry nun any moment. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

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I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the buildings several times. I did have to dodge demolition workers who were inside removing stuff and prepping the building, but the old creaky floors gave me plenty of time to move when I heard anyone coming near. Sure enough  the buildings started coming down in 2022. They started with the wing of the convent that still held the 200 year old Grover Mansion, advancing towards the chapel which was the next victim. The 1980s wing and boiler house went next, followed finally by the resort building. The whole complex was decimated in a matter of months.

Shortly after demolition wrapped up the town released a powerful statement over the loss of the complex. They claimed they were sincerely distressed over the loss of the facility, which was such an important fixture in town. Every effort was made to land on another solution on the town's part, but the new owners wouldn't budge. Since the campus was not on any local or national register they couldn't even slow down the process. 

The loss of the St. Francis Health Resort should serve as a wake up call to all of us that absolutely nothing is safe from greed. Even if you can't imagine any circumstance where a building would ever be lost, start second guessing yourself. The most important thing we can do right now is make an effort to start getting more and more of our local historic sites listed on the state and national register. At this point, it's either landmark or landfill.