Sackett Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sackett Lake |
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 Sackett Lake
Location in New York
Sackett Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Sullivan County, New York |
| Coordinates | 41°37′29″N 74°44′28″W / 41.62472°N 74.74111°W |
| Type | lake |
| Surface area | 127 acres (51 ha) |
| Surface elevation | 1,329 feet (405 m) |
Sackett Lake is a beautiful lake in Thompson, New York. A small community has grown up around the lake, sharing its name. It is about 4 miles southwest of Monticello. Monticello is the main town, or county seat, of Sullivan County, New York.
The lake covers about 127 acres. It sits at an elevation of 1,329 feet above sea level. Around the lake, you can find places like Fireman's Camp. This camp is for local volunteer firefighters. There is also Beaver Dam, Winston Day Camp, and a JCC. A JCC is a Jewish Community Center, a place for people to gather. Sackett Lake is now home to many Jewish and Polish families. It is a colorful and pretty area. It feels very rural, even though it is not far from the village.
Sackett Lake's Past: The Borscht Belt Era
Sackett Lake was once a popular vacation spot. This was during the "Borscht Belt" years. The Borscht Belt was a time when many resorts in the Catskill Mountains were very busy. The Laurels Hotel and Country Club was a big resort on the north side of Sackett Lake.
Famous singers and bands played at The Laurels. People like Louis Armstrong performed there on summer weekends. The hotel had both outdoor and indoor pools. It also had a 9-hole golf course and an ice skating rink. Guests could rent boats on the lake. There was even a ski lift behind the golf course.
About 35 small houses, called bungalows, were rented out for the summer. The Laurels was a popular place. It competed with bigger hotels like Grossinger's and the Concord.
However, The Laurels faced financial problems in the mid-1970s. It closed down. Then, a big fire happened there in 1980. The buildings stayed for a few years. They were finally torn down in the 1980s. Now, the land is a home for many wild birds. You can see birds like the blue heron there.
Two other hotels were on the other side of Sackett Lake Road. These were the Belmore Hotel and the Old Congress Hotel. Both had "casinos" or halls by the lake. These were places for entertainment. The Bellmore Hotel burned down in the late 1960s. The Old Congress Hotel tried to reopen several times but did not succeed. It was even a high school football camp for a short time. Now, private homes are built on that land. This community is called Sackett Lake Estates.
Across Sackett Lake from The Laurels was a small hotel. It was called the Sackett Lake Lodge. It had a main building, bungalows by the lake, and a "casino." It burned down in the early 1960s.
Summer Camps and Communities
Sackett Lake was also home to several "sleepaway" camps. These are camps where kids stay overnight for the summer. Camp Winston, Camp Roosevelt, and Camp Ta-Go-La were three of these camps. Camp Winston closed in the 1960s. Now, it is a private community of homes called Camelot Woods.
Camp Roosevelt and Camp Ta-Go-La are still summer camps today. They are now Orthodox Jewish overnight summer camps. They are called Camp Romimu and Camp Adas Bnos Vien.
There were also bungalow colonies around the lake. These were groups of small houses rented for the summer. One was Goodman's Showboat Colony. The "showboat" was a white building overhanging the lake. It had a large room for gatherings. The owners, Abe and Miriam Goodman, lived in a small apartment there.
Today, most of the old hotels and bungalow colonies are gone. Sackett Lake is now mostly made up of private homes.
