Upper Greenwood Lake dreams for sale

| 29 Sep 2011 | 01:18

Upper Greenwood Lake — Advertising gimmicks are not new. Back in 1903 Ira Moe, apparently a self-promoter, succeeded in getting a post office named for himself, reportedly through political hi-jinks. He advertised his business, a bar, restaurant and inn, as “odd, artistic, catchy.” Moe’s Horseshoe Log Tavern was located in Moe, N.J., now known as Upper Greenwood Lake. Moe was described as an eccentric, and his own description of his establishment may have been an understatement. Many log beams within the building were carved with proverbs. The one that adorned the mantle of his fireplace was so cryptic it remains a puzzle today, as it hangs in the West Milford Museum. Among other unusual aspects, supposedly there was a trap door in the floor of his dining room which he would open on occasion, revealing a small pond beneath the building. His diners would then be invited to go fishing. On his menu, in what appeared to be a risky financial maneuver, Moe suggested that his dining customers should tell their cash-strapped friends who wanted to visit but could not afford the trip, that they could write to Moe and he would send them a railroad pass. He would even pick them up at the train station. Jumping ahead to the early 1930’s, another advertising scheme brought people to Upper Greenwood Lake, this time sponsored by a New York newspaper, The Daily Mirror. They, however, were selling a lot more than a chicken dinner and a day in the country. The Daily Mirror, published by the William Randolph Hearst organization, had some prior experience in creating popular man-made lake communities. In the 1920’s the newspaper built Lake Hiawatha and Lake Parsippany in Parsippany-Troy Hills, Morris County. For $98.50 the buyer would get a 20x100 foot lot and, as an added attraction, a six-month subscription to The Daily Mirror. When the newspaper’s advertising blitz began for Upper Greenwood Lake it was aimed at the average wage-earner and reader who may be tempted by the price tag to invest in an affordable summer home or year-round residence. In a 1934 township anniversary journal, an ad appears for “Upper Greenwood Lake, N.J., a mountain resort created by the Daily Mirror.” The price of the 20x100 foot lots was reported as $97.50 each, $10 down, and $3.50 a month. The prospective buyer was directed to call “West Milford 115.” That particular ad does not state, however, that the buyer had to purchase four lots. People looking to escape the city heat, breathe some mountain air and swim in the cool waters of a blue lake, did indeed start buying up the lots. Now they had to build that dream house and the lake was yet to be created. The first Upper Greenwood Lake clubhouse was built in 1931 and served as the Daily Mirror’s sales office. According to long-time resident, Ted Hajek, there were exterior staircases on either side of the building leading to a look-out that afforded a panoramic view of the land and a buyer could choose his site from there. Near the clubhouse stood three different style Sears prefab model homes. They were basic 20x24-foot cabins, each with a sale price of $700. A site and home could be had for $1,000, Hajek reported. After they were built they had a distinct style, looking like log cabins but were not, and they had a septic system about one pipe length away, he added. Traveling to their new homesteads was not always easy, with only a one-lane road which inclement weather sometimes made impassable. Newcomers began to pitch tents and live in shacks while they awaited completion of their homes. The early settlers of Upper Greenwood Lake had few amenities at first. There was Vogel’s Tavern and grocery store, which later became the Pioneer Tavern, and Guy Frutell’s store which became the Mountain Jug. There was one telephone, located in Vogel’s, and residents had to apply for the electric service that was turned on in 1936 by Rockland Electric. The lake itself, with a current 385-acre surface area, was created by damming the West Milford Brook and was reportedly completed in 1932. Its dam today is 410 feet long and 19 feet high. The lake sits at 1,300 feet above sea level and 600 feet above Greenwood Lake. The only connection between the two lakes is the stream that runs alongside the Warwick Turnpike. The Greenwood Lake Property Owners Association came into possession of most of the waterfront property, leaving several areas to the lake open for resident access. The clubhouse became the center for social and organizational functions. In the early years it was also the only location that had a well for drinking water. The need for community services was growing and the first fire company was formed around 1935. To sound an alarm in time of need, residents would go to the nearest ‘fire hoop’ and with the attached sledge hammer hit out a coded number, thereby giving the location of the fire. They then had to remain by the hoop to direct the firefighters. They did not have the much-needed services of a first aid squad until 1955. Looking back, long-time residents of Upper Greenwood Lake have great memories of summer beach days and social events in the old close-knit lakeside community. Eighty-eight-year-old Tilly Oats, a resident since 1958, recalls herds of deer roaming freely but she also remembers putting up barricades on her porch to prevent bears from breaking into her house. She said local kids would come to her road for sleigh riding and skiing in the wintertime. Elsie Powers, age 95 and now a resident of Bald Eagle Commons, started summering in Upper Greenwood Lake in 1950, spending her time in a three room cottage in the woods. She spoke of Steggeman’s Hotel, built in the early 30’s, as the in-place for many years for the local folks. “It was picture-perfect, right by the dam,” she said. The building still stands and is now called the Lake Shore Inn. Eighty-year-old Betty Boecklen’s parents bought one of the original Daily Mirror homes in 1938 after viewing a display model in Queens, N.Y. They spent many weekends in the cabin without the benefit of electric or indoor plumbing. Her father built a receptacle in which to place their food, lowering it down to just above water level in their well to keep the perishables cold. She also recalls that a bar of soap, a towel and the lake constituted the weekend bath. Ted Hajek has lived full-time in Upper Greenwood Lake for 54 years. His parents purchased his uncle’s house, which was one of the original cabins. His father had a garbage collection business and at one time Hajek worked for him. “In 1964, I had 46 year-round customers,” he said. By 1976 that number had escalated to 2,600 year-round customers, demonstrating the area’s changing population. In 1999 Hajek bought the 1931 Upper Greenwood Lake Clubhouse. It had fallen into disrepair and some concerned parties thought it should be torn down. But Hajek believed in the value of the history of the community and came to the old building’s rescue. He has worked hard to restore it and has managed to keep the original flooring, chandelier and fireplace. Some exterior work is ongoing but the building is a showplace now and the Hajek family proudly calls it home. Upper Greenwood Lake homes have changed significantly and bi-levels and large colonial homes are scattered among the smaller residences of yesteryear. In the summertime all manner of water craft ply the waters of the picturesque lake. Underneath the water are the stumps of the trees that once filled the fields and woods — that country place where dreams were sold and a community was born. Sources: www.uglpoa.org; West Milford Museum; fndlakes.com; Greenwoodnj.uslakes.info; "Fifty Years at Upper Greenwood Lake, 1932-1982"; "West Milford" by Samantha Vaughan; "The Earth Shook and the Sky Was Red," by Otten and Weskerna; wikipedia.org; find.galegroup.com; West Milford’s 100th Anniversary program, courtesy of Pat and Pete Gillen; thepeoplehistory.com; www.mclib.info; www.spiritus-temporis.com. Catholic Masses were held at the clubhouse until Saint Cecilia’s Church was built in 1938. The area was already served by the ‘Church on the Mountain’ - the Greenwood Baptist church, erected in 1884 and still in use today. Eventually the Jewish Community Center was built.