Barrington Lodge 1955 - 1956
477 Beaverkill Road, Olivebridge, N.Y. 12461


   The purpose of this website is to show a beautiful piece of the world as it was more than half a century ago. From approximately February 1955 until July 1956,* this was a family residence and, mainly in the spring and summer, a lodge for guests who were interested in horseback riding or fishing, or who were simply seeking a quiet retreat. The property was two-hundred and eighteen acres and included the two lakes, the turnwood covered bridge over the Esopus, and the older outbuildings which remain there (none of the ruins had been restored). The only significant alterations of the property were the addition of a short road to improve access to the base of the mill waterfall and some interior remodeling. It was thought that the property could be used for the training and boarding of race horses, however its remoteness and the harsh winters were considerable obstacles, and when Mr. Banks, who had trained at Jack Jarvis's stables in Newmarket, was offered a position in California, the plan was abandoned, the estate was sold to the State University of New York, and the house became known as Winchell's Inn. Currently the property is known as the Ashokan Center.

   Previously the property had belonged to Lester and Barbara Moehring, and the house was said to have been built in 1943, however it may well have been constructed on the site of some earlier structure. Although the house was modern and in fine condition, it incorporated materials taken from older buildings: it was said that the "wavy" windows in the living room were from an historical church, and that the hewn beams were from a hall where General Grant had danced. The beautiful "long bar" in the downstairs den was said to have belonged to the Mary Powell, the sidewheel steamboat which had plied the Hudson River for some fifty-five years, and this was entirely credible, as although the room had windows and a door facing the rear garden, and a tall stone fireplace, as it still does today, presumably, it was not large, and the long bar with its brass rail seemed to be out of place.
Frank Banks on "White Plains."
The sign over the bridge read:
"TEN DOLLARS FINE
DRIVING OVER THIS BRIDGE
FASTER THAN A WALK"
BLodge@metameta.ca            Posted August 10, 2012   *Corrections and editing August 7, 2016.
  All contents of this website copyright John Banks 2012, all rights reserved. Excepting brief quotations, any other use of the contents of this website without written permission is an infringement of copyright.