Simplicity of days of old alive and well at Swartswood Lake

Stillwater - Thousands of years ago, Swartswood Lake was formed by glaciers. It is located on Route 619, in Stillwater Township, a 550-acre indentation surrounded by its watershed: 10,000 acres of the Kittatinny Mountains. These mountains and Neldons Brook are its headwaters, and the lake spreads out into shallow coves and into Little Swartswood Lake before it rides the dam to empty into Mill Brook. The lake is a sheltered grand retreat, with clear, sparkling waters, nestled in the mountains. Motor boats aren’t allowed, resulting in a tranquility that make a visit like taking a step back in time. No one knows this better than Rafe and Lorna Sharon who have owned a house on Swartswood Lake for 15 years. Located on a little dirt road called Emmon’s Lane. The Sharon’s retreat house has great views, a dock and is an escape from all the bustle of “the real world.” Emmon’s Lane is home to just a handful of dwellings, and like the entire Swartswood Lake area, is one of the last true hamlets of the northeast. “We had owned a house at the Jersey shore and got tired of the crowds, the sand, the sun and the noise,“ Rafe Sharon said. After taking a vacation to a lake in the mountains, the Sharons decided to explore trading in their beach house for a lake house. A friend who once owned at house on Swartswood Lake told them about it and they promptly found a Realtor in Sparta to began their search. “We told her that we wanted a house on a lake and would consider any lake as long as it was large enough for me to row my racing shell,“ Sharon said. Then, on a day in February the Sharons toured a house for sale on Swartswood Lake. The day was freezing and it was hard to imagine what the place would be like minus the snow and ice,” Sharon remembered. They spent another few weeks looking at houses on various lakes in the area but kept going back to the one on Swartswood. “What made the lake attractive to us was its size and the fact that no gas motors are allowed. This would guarantee no jet skis.“ As fate would have it, on the day Sharon decided to bring his parents up to see the house, a front page article in the Wall Street Journal appeared titled “Vacation Home Bargains Abound.” He said, “I read the article and of all the vacation houses in the country, they used the house we had been looking at to illustrate their article!” Thanks to the photo, Sharon‘s plans to give a low offer were thwarted and he found himself in a bidding war. “We had to get the house.” They did. As for Emmons Lane, Sharon said, “It would make a great sitcom. We have Ph.D.’s and an MD, bankers, a Methodist preacher, retired couples, and a man in his 70’s who grew up on the lane. Weekend users come from as far away as Baltimore.” Retired psychiatrist, Henry Pinsker, who winters in Florida, has been a summer resident on Emmon’s Lane since 1962, occupying the first cottage built on the lane built, “Probably in 1907.” Back in ‘62, they had 8-party line telephone service and in the 60s, Pinsker said, “One would see 50 to 60 sailboats on a Sunday afternoon.” Now the weekly summer regatta boasts 10 to 15 vessels. The Swartswood Lake area is the subject of many tales and legends. One rumor, that there is a Hessian cemetery in the area, is quickly debunked by long-time residents, but when it comes to Emmon’s Lane, one tale is true. Pinker said a man named Larry Strang has lived on the lane since he was a child in the ‘30s, and “His mother showed me a clipping about the murder on Emmons Lane sometime in the ‘40’s.” Dr. Robert Johnson‘s parents had a house on Swartswood Lake before he was born, and has “always been passionate about the place.” When the physical demands of getting to Swartswood and maintaining the house became too much, he had to sell it a few years ago. Pinsker said, “I’ve seen that happen to many people over the years.” A wealth of knowledge regarding names of property owners from the past, Dr. Johnson has stories to tell dating back to the ’20s. For instance, his original house on the lake, along with a few others, was destroyed around 1967 by an arsonist. Scuttlebutt aside, the lane and the whole hamlet of Swartswood is a coveted retreat for some and full-time home for others. The Sharon’s daughter, 14-year-old Cimmeron, has attended the youth running camp, held each August, and their son, five-year-old Canaan, enjoys playing with friends by the lake. The lake was a major resort in the early 1900s. Many local families took in summer borders, but there were other places to stay. The North Shore Inn, now only opened for special occasions such as Kittatinny Regional High School’s prom, was once a booming hotel, as was The Casino and The Dove Island Inn, now private homes. Later, weekenders stayed in summer cabins. In response to the creation of New Jersey’s first state park in 1914, the nearby Paulinskill River was dammed in the 1920s to create Paulinskill Lake, now primarily a year-round community, but for many years summer-only residences. The history of the area started long before it was discovered by Brooklynites looking to escape the city heat. A map with driving tour guide is available at the township municipal building in Middleville and takes tourists to some fantastic old establishments including: the Stillwater Mill and the nearby Casper Shafer house, a stone structure with an elaborate porch. Opposite the Presbyterian Church is the former Stillwater Academy, an old schoolhouse, now the historical society museum, which is open on Sunday afternoons all summer. Swartswood Lake itself is a treasured lake, maintained and restored continuously by the Swartswood Lakes and Watershed Association. It’s predicted lifespan is 100,000 years, a long time for a lake. This is because there is little to accelerate its progression to bog status in the countryside of Sussex County. Though geological history says a glacier formed the lake, former Swartswood State Park Superintendent, Steve Ellis, came up with another theory. Looking at an aerial map of the lake, he used to point out, “doesn’t [the lake’s profile] look like the outline of a space ship?” It does. For the past six years, Blanca Chevrestt has been at the helm as Superintendent of the 2,272- acre park Under her reign, the park has added vital pieces of equipment, increased its special events, and cleared more trails. Swartswood State Park offers wildlife from bald eagles to unique vegetation found in its sinkhole ponds. It’s open year-round with a host of recreational activities depending on the season. There are secluded picnic areas overlooking the lake with grills available and for overnight stays, there is camping available from April through October. The park features of nature trails at both ends of the lake, and in the summer, kayak tours of the lake and wildlife programs. Swartswood is also a town with its own post office and is home to a handful of businesses including: The Swartswood Deli, Mengo‘s Pizzeria, and it’s newest restaurant, The Boat House. Mengo’s owner Steve Meng seems to have found the winning combination, offering both pizza and dinners. Mengo’s delivers all around the lake, but many locals and out-of-towners prefer to visit the restaurant on Route 622. Meng chose Swartswood for his business because, “It’s a very personable area and it was close to home.” Several Kittatinny Regional High School graduates home for the holidays couldn’t wait to “meet at Mengo’s.” It’s become an area tradition. Kathy and Ken Snyder purchased what is now The Boat House Restaurant in August, 2005 and opened it on October 12. The building has a long history starting out as a bar called Lotus Landing owned by a brother and two sisters who lived upstairs. After that, it became another bar called Peacock House which was open just an hour a day for years. After that, a local man bought it with plans for a restaurant, but it didn’t work out for him. The former owner bought it out of bankruptcy and operated it as a restaurant and bar called The Last Stand. Kathy Snyder lived across the lake from the restaurant for many years and used to dream of owning it while out on Swartswood Lake in their pontoon boat. “Once it sold and became The Last Stand, we thought our chance had passed,” she said. One day, they learned it was up for sale and at that point, “We knew we’d do anything to get it.” After lots of hoops and hurdles and having to sell their home to move into the living quarters over the restaurant, the Snyders’ dream came true and the restaurant on the lake was theirs. The Snyders went to work taking out a big bar that took up much of the main room, redoing the floors, and restoring the bar in the front room with its original cabinets which they found in the attic. In the restaurant business most of her life, it had been Kathy Snyder’s dream to own a place of her own. “I’ve only had a few gut feelings in my life and [buying the restaurant] was one of them,” Snyder said. “Everything I have done had turned out better than I dreamed of, and the community has been fabulous to the point of thanking me so much that it’s embarrassing.” The Snyders worked in tandem with the restoration. They selected tiffany lamps which Ken Snyder, an electrician, installed himself. On the outside, Kathy took over. “I wanted to bring back the old fashioned lake-style atmosphere. If you went to Greenwood Lake or even down the shore, they would paint the buildings white with green trim.” The menu took Kathy Snyder and her chef 45 minutes to create. With a full entrée menu and pub menu available upon request, the Boat House is up and running Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. right on the lake at 1040 County Road 521. Come the warmer weather, they’ll add outdoor tables overlooking the lake and someday hope to put a deck on the lake. “We can go 35 feet out into the lake,” Snyder said. “With all the support from local residents and those who frequent this area, we’ll be just fine.“ Winding roads skirt Swartswood Lake, bald eagles fly in its skies and legends of old abound in this tranquil country oasis. Leave your jet ski at home, but do bring your camera, your appetite and your thirst for adventure.