Swan Lake (formerly Stevensville) is a hamlet and census designated place in the town of Liberty, Sullivan County, New York, United States.[2] The lake inside the town is also named Swan Lake.
Swan Lake, New York | |
|---|---|
Hamlet and CDP | |
 Swan Lake Post Office | |
  Swan Lake, New York  Swan Lake, New York | |
| Coordinates: 41°45′02″N 74°46′41″W / 41.75056°N 74.77806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Sullivan |
| Elevation | 1,345 ft (410 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 12783 |
| Area code | 845 |
| GNIS feature ID | 966887[1] |
A hotel and tourist industry was founded in Swan Lake in the 1880s.
History
editSwan Lake was originally called Stevensville, named after the Stevens brothers who built a large sole leather tannery there. The tannery was in existence until about 1873.[3][4]
Since the 1880s the Swan Lake area has been noted for its hotel and tourist industry. Many of the local farm girls found jobs there in the early 1900s. [5]
Alden S. Swan arrived there from New York about 1895 and by the time of his death in 1917 owned much of the land and all of the lake. The name was changed to Swan Lake in January 1927.[6]
The Swan estate was purchased by Siegel and Kretchmer and the Siegels went on to build the Commodore and Stevensville the latter developing into a large sprawling hotel run by the Dinnerstein family.[7][8]
[9][10][11][12]
Walter Sage was a New York area gangster who was caught by his affiliates skimming money off the top of gambling rackets. He was murdered with an ice pick and his body was disposed of in [1] Swan Lake (the lake inside the town also called Swan Lake) tied to a 30 pound rock and a slot machine frame. On July 31, 1937 his body was discovered by tourists floating in Swan Lake. Jack Drucker would be convicted of the murder for his part in this. Harry Strauss known as "Pittsburgh Phil" had already been executed by death penalty for his part in other murders related to his involvement with the gang of killers dubbed by the press as Murder, Inc. Irving “Big Gangi” Cohen [13] who was also alleged to take part in the murder managed to not be convicted of this crime. This infamous murder would also be documented in the Classic Catskills series with Barry Lewis. [14]
On October 10, 2000, Swan Lake made national news over a dispute in leadership and membership at the local synagogue, Congregation Ahavath Achim. Disputes between locals and summer residents that use the synagogue resulted in an article in the New York Times. [2] A judge later ruled for a new election to settle the dispute.[3]
Geography
editThe community is located along New York State Route 55, 3.9 miles (6.3 km) south-southwest of Liberty, located at the eastern end of a lake called "Swan Lake".
Historic Buildings
edit
The Bikur Cholim B'nai Israel Synagogue in Swan Lake is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[15]
Parks and Recreation
editThe town of Bethel Pool and Park is located in Swan Lake.[16]
The lake also known as Swan Lake inside the town is known for its fishing. It has been known to have ice fishing tournaments during the winter months. [4] The lake in Swan Lake known as Swan Lake is known to have chain pickerel, bluegill, crappie, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and bullhead catfish. The ecology of the lake is of note as the Catskills area is known for its long cultural ties to fishing.[5] The lake is 326 acres in size.[6]
Swan Lake Park [7] is available from May 1st to September 30th each year. It has basketball and tennis courts and is along the shore of the lake in Swan Lake also known as Swan Lake. The park has one of the doves from the Sullivan County dove trail that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival. [8] The Borscht Belt Marker Project erected a sign in the park to commemorate the towns history regarding the Borscht Belt. [9] The parks address is 1658 Briscoe Road, Swan Lake NY 12783
The Moshini Stone Castle is a small park garden within the town near the lake. [10]
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival, Sullivan County made a dove trail that features painted doves by local artists throughout the county. [11] Swan Lake presently has two of the doves. [12] The first dove is located in Swan Lake Park and was originally at a local restaurant that closed down, and the other is located at the Domes at Catskills on Kelly Bridge Road in Swan Lake.[13]
Infrastructure
editSwan Lake post office opened in 1849.[17][18]
The Swan Lake Fire Department is a volunteer fire department with around 30 members.[19]
See also
editReferences
edit
- ^ "Swan Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "State of New York Census Designated Places - Current/BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2019". tigerweb.geo.census.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ "Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project".
- ^ "Town of Liberty". January 19, 2016.
- ^ "Town of Liberty". January 19, 2016.
- ^ "Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project".
- ^ "Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project".
- ^ "Town of Liberty". January 19, 2016.
- ^ "The Ice Pick Murder of Gangster Walter Sage - New York Almanack". July 2, 2023.
- ^ "SAGE ADVICE – Pulp International".
- ^ "Gangster's paradise".
- ^ "Brutal '36 slaying business of Murder, Inc".
- ^ "Murder, Inc".
- ^ "Stevensville Lake Resort -- Swan Lake -- Classic Catskills". YouTube. June 23, 2009.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Townofbethelny.us".
- ^ United States Postal Service. "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- ^ "Postmaster Finder - Post Offices by ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- ^ "Swan Lake Hose Company". US Fire Dept.
 | This article about a location in Sullivan County, New York is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |