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 just outside of Newton, 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. No one knows its appeal better than Rafe and Lorna Sharon who have owned a house on Swartswood Lake for the past 15 years, on a little dirt road called Emmon’s Lane that few would ever notice. 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. “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 of New Paltz, NY, the Sharons decided to explore options to trade 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. 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 who only has a high school education who is now in his 70s and grew up on the lane. Weekend users such as ourselves 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, he said, “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. Like all communities settled in the 18th century, 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. A man named Larry Strang has lived on the lane since he was a child in the ‘30s, and, said Pinsker, “His (Strang’s) mother showed me a clipping about a murder on Emmons Lane sometime in the ‘40s.” 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. Swartswood Lake was a major resort in the early 1900s. Many 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. A map with driving tour guide is available at the township municipal building in Middleville. It takes tourists to 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. For the past six years, Blanca Chevrestt has been at the helm as Superintendent of the 2,272- acre Swartswood State Park. The 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. The park features a number of nature trails at both ends of the lake, and in the summer, there are kayak tours of the lake as well as a number of other wildlife programs. Swartswood is also a town with its own post office and is home to a handful of businesses and eateries including: The Swartswood Deli, Mengo‘s Pizzeria, and it’s newest restaurant, the Boat House. Mengo’s delivers all around the lake area, but many locals and out-of-towners prefer to visit the restaurant on Route 622 just off Swartswood Lake. 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 several months later on October 12. Immediately upon purchasing the building, 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. The Snyders worked in tandem with the restoration. When it came to the outside of the building, that was Kathy’s forte. “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.” That’s what she did with the Boat House. The menu took Kathy Snyder and her chef 45 minutes to create. “We knew exactly where we wanted to head.” Now with a full entrée menu and additional pub menu which is always 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 March, the menu will change a little, and 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. Winding roads skirt Swartswood Lake, bald eagles fly in its skies and legends of old abound in this tranquil country oasis. Leave the jet ski at home, but do bring a camera, an appetite and a thirst for adventure.