Fern Cliff House

Does anyone know what happened to the Fern Cliff House? What's the story? Did It sell or what? If someone has any information regarding this topic, I would greatly appreciate it if they could post their thoughts on the forum. Thank you.

The Fern Cliff was sold. It is to become a Jewish camp. I met the man who bought the Fern Cliff and he seams to be a nice guy.

tabatha wrote:

The Fern Cliff was sold. It is to become a Jewish camp. I met the man who bought the Fern Cliff and he seams to be a nice guy.

Please tell me you are kidding. Seems to be a nice guy? He's driving everybody out of the town. Furlong's and McKenna's Resorts are up for sale and more will soon follow. The town will be gone in a few years. Just Wait.

John Smith wrote:

<quoted text>
Please tell me you are kidding. Seems to be a nice guy? He's driving everybody out of the town. Furlong's and McKenna's Resorts are up for sale and more will soon follow. The town will be gone in a few years. Just Wait.

I think the same jew inquired about The Blackthorne too. If that place goes, then so do I.

How can one Jew who bought one property drive everyone out of town??? Sounds like anti-semitism going on here. I realize most Irish are Catholic but didn't expect a reaction like this - LilysDad and John Smith.

Most of those places up there have been for sale for years. I just got back from Irish Arts Week up there and really other than that and Memorial Day and Labor Day, not much happens up there in the summer these days.

There is some bitterness regarding the fact that it was sold to a Jewish Person, but not because they are Jewish but because it won't be Irish anymore. The same reaction would have been had if they were going to turn it into a German camp I would guess.

Anti-semitism??? That's low. Have any of you seen what they have done in Kiryas Joel, Orange County, New York.(Above Westchester County)? They do nothing for the community. They are one of the poorest communites in the entire country. Most are on welfare and most are far below the poverty line. These are the same people entering East Durham. They are already in Tannersville by Hunter Mountain, building their compounds. They will just multiple and do nothing to contribute to the community. East Durham was a traditional IRISH town and one of the few Irish areas left in the country. There is a Irish Cultural Museum that many of us supported through donations. For nothing now. It will serve no purpose. Would I go over to Israel and open up an Irish Resort? NO. Restaurants, Bars, Resorts, and many other commercial properties are selling. The town will be a ghost town in the near future. It's disgraceful. The Fern Cliff House owners through the people of East Durham under the bus.
And "Bill from Maryland", I would have the same reaction if any person who was German, Japanese, Indian, or any other background bought the Fern Cliff. The IRISH heritage in East Durham should have been preserved.
LilysDad- Thank you for agreeing with me. At least there is one logial person on this forum.

Dear John,

I'm not sure where your coming from with making allegations about people you never met and claiming they're guilty of any wrong doing.

Sounds like you know so much about so little - that it's obvious your motives are not genuine.

The new camp is allowing children from the city to enjoy the beautiful countryside and has added tremendously to the local economy.

I met those kids and they're the best thing that could've happened to the resort that was deterierating and for sale for a long time.

I'm sure you're dead wrong and they will continue be a great asset to the community.

Dear Marian,
Open your eyes. If you are so brilliant, then please explain to me why there are countless properties for sale in Greene County, Ny?(Thats where you live). Say if you happened to live in Manhattan, New York, would you move into China Town? I don't understand their reasoning on buying an Irish Resort. The town of East Durham created an Irish Cultural Center with contributions from many people in the town of East Durham, and around the country. I also contributed hundreds of dollars into the Cultural Center.
The sale of the Fern Cliff House was extremely disappointing to me. I had been going there every consecutive summer for over 30 years. Now, the struggling town of East Durham will be further pushed into an econimic slum. The sale of the Fern Cliff House opened the door to other businesses and resorts to sell their properties. And why is that you ask? That is because they were scared. I have talked to numerous commerical business owner in the area via email and telephone conversations. They were afraid that they would lose everything they own and had worked for.
And Marian, remember the O'Connell Lounge at the Fern CLiff House? If you want to talk about a boost in the economy, that would be the place. The place would be jumping for hours on a Friday and Saturday night with numerous Irish Bands performing. And now, that is gone.
Lastly, please explain to me how children from the city would be able to pump money into the "local economy", when most of the businesses are closed/closing?
So, in conclusion, please don't insult me and claim that I have made false allegations. Everything that I have said is true knowledge. I graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor's, Master's, and P.H.D. Degrees over the course of ten years. Don't insult my inteligence. And may I ask, where did you go to school? Coxsackie-Athens High School? Don't insult me.

Marian, you got to be kidding. The community of East Durham is primarily Irish, Christian and has been for close to 200 years. It has a NY State Historical Charter and a NYS Historical Museum and a not-for-profit Irish Cultural Center. It is known throughout the world. It also holds a Beautiful Christian shrine built to honor the mother of Jesus, Mary. The oldest farm, Cunningham, dates back to 1837. This was time of the building of the Erie Canal which was primarily built by Irish. A time, shortly thereafter, was the Irish "holocaust", or euphmistically called, "Famine", which was ethnic cleansing where millions died and millions exiled, a diaspora, if you like. Long before the evils of World War II.

Your castigation of Mr. Smith, an apparent man of letters, shows sublime ignorance and a lack of economic savvy. If a religious community takes over for-profit businesses that pay heavy taxes, which are levied to support the local village and its various necessary services, schools, and emergency services, and gives back little to the commnity, the tax roles and local economy take a tremendous body blow. If it is a religious seminary with year round occupants, that is different. Otherwise it is leeching sustenace and gets a free ride from the local community and causes an extreme tax burden on the remainder.

The new guests of this former resort that had a heavily taxed dancehall and bar, is now a summer camp with temporary children of the summertime. they all have religious dietary and other restriction and prohibitions. Restaurants and Cultural-oriented taverns, bars or other establishments have little to offer, outside of an Ice Cream Bar, or candy or small purchases marked K or P. Ergo, very little or no business, voila, goodbye taxes from these heavily taxed businesses which are forced to fold.

It is similar in my opinion, to block busting to take over a residential area. East Durham and its surrounding homes is a residential community. It is not the Countryside you refer to. If your talking about the back woods of the Adirondaks or the Finger Lakes, or farm country, then it is surely not East Durham.

So stop playing the race or religious card, Marian. Shame on you. I think you owe Mr. Smith an apology. Mr. Smith, is right on target. You, in turn, show your prejudice. Are you connected someway to this summercamp community? It makes you wonder?

Benjamin- Thank you for your educated response. I agree with every word you said.

My pleasure, and deepest honor, in responding in affirmation of your comments.

Benjamin, may I ask you if you are from the East Durham area? It is purely curiousity, please do not feel obligated to answer.

Yes and I have many relatives there. In my opinion A G-D Damn shame to see a type of Blockbusting and the race/religion card used to defend the surreptitious destruction of an historic ethnic community, so as to get it on the cheap. These alleged victims are the children, and their descendants, of little Ireland, the only European country that never persecuted a Jew. What an irony. Check it out!

To begin, I grew up going to the fern cliff every summer with my family (a tradition started by my decest Grandmother). To my dismay, that O'conell lounge was an accomplice to me being brought into this world (Irish and their alcohol!) My family would look foward to every last Weekend in June where we would get together at the Fern Cliff for a nice relaxing vacation together along with the Claire society.(for well over 35 years). I am saddened that this property is lost for ever and I will never be able to return to it again or introduce my own children to the place I "grew up in".

As for the hasidic jews who have bought over the camp, they will no add to the community. I have worked in Brooklyn within theirr communities. They do not believe in adding to out economy. Where I worked, there wasn't any type of food or establishment that wasn't owned by an hasidic family. Plus they have to eat Kosher, so do you really believe those children will contribute to the community by buying "ice cream"? It saddens me that the whole area is disapearing and that I have lost my Irish heritage.

I agree with you LI Irish Girl. And as a matter of fact, my family would go to the Fern Cliff House during the last weekend of June. Although we had no connection to the Claire Society, we still enjoyed vacationing at the Fern Cliff House to celebrate our heritage.

East Durham is a quaint town that was mostly Irish. It should have been preserved as an Irish Town.

Oh the O'Connell Lounge.....

John Smith wrote:

Dear Marian,
Open your eyes. If you are so brilliant, then please explain to me why there are countless properties for sale in Greene County, Ny?(Thats where you live). Say if you happened to live in Manhattan, New York, would you move into China Town? I don't understand their reasoning on buying an Irish Resort. The town of East Durham created an Irish Cultural Center with contributions from many people in the town of East Durham, and around the country. I also contributed hundreds of dollars into the Cultural Center.
The sale of the Fern Cliff House was extremely disappointing to me. I had been going there every consecutive summer for over 30 years. Now, the struggling town of East Durham will be further pushed into an econimic slum. The sale of the Fern Cliff House opened the door to other businesses and resorts to sell their properties. And why is that you ask? That is because they were scared. I have talked to numerous commerical business owner in the area via email and telephone conversations. They were afraid that they would lose everything they own and had worked for.
And Marian, remember the O'Connell Lounge at the Fern CLiff House? If you want to talk about a boost in the economy, that would be the place. The place would be jumping for hours on a Friday and Saturday night with numerous Irish Bands performing. And now, that is gone.
Lastly, please explain to me how children from the city would be able to pump money into the "local economy", when most of the businesses are closed/closing?
So, in conclusion, please don't insult me and claim that I have made false allegations. Everything that I have said is true knowledge. I graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor's, Master's, and P.H.D. Degrees over the course of ten years. Don't insult my inteligence. And may I ask, where did you go to school? Coxsackie-Athens High School? Don't insult me.

sorry john, but the fern cliff was in 1946 owned by a german couple. i know this because my family was there. as for the town, the elder's would not let the town grow. the younger people wanted to add a golf course, they said it would bring undesirables. there is so much the young ones can add. but as the elders are alive this will not happen.

Right...I suppose that the elders kept the Fern Cliff House from being sold to Haisidic Jews...
No, actually that did not happen. Are you insinuating that Haisidic Jews are desirable people for a Historical Irish Town? I would think not. Others in this forum and I know that Haisidic Jews do nothing to contribute to the communities in which they reside.

And sure, you can say that the Fern Cliff House was owned by a German Couple. That's fine. Well, New York was owned by the Dutch before the British, and eventually the Colonists of the former British American Colonies. The region of the Catskill Mountains, which includes Ulster County and Greene Counties, New York. And what is Ulster County named after? The Irish Province of Ulster in Ireland, of course. When the Irish immigrated over to America during the Irish Famine, many settled in Boston, Mass., and New York City...but others traveled upstate to seek work on the Erie Canal and on farms in the area.

My point is that even though the Fern Cliff House may have been owned by Germans, they still worked hard and contributed to their community. The were probably descendents of hard working immigrant families. The Irish and many other groups of Europeans worked hard when they arrived in the United States.
But the Haisidic Jews came over here, and did what? NOTHING. NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL. As I have stated before in an earlier post, they have ruined neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York, and the town of Kiryas Joel in Orange County, New York, by spreading poverty and welfare.

Lastly, I am not a racist or an anti-semitist. Honestly, even though I would have been very happy with the Irish in East Durham being preserved, I wouldn't be as upset as I am right now if the Fern Cliff House was sold to hardworking people who would help East Durham. Yes, I believe that East Durham has been going slightly down-hill in the past years, but there is so much potential available in this picturesque village of Greene County.

And I would ask all of the unintelligent people to think about what you are going to write before you attack me with your hodgepodge of bizarre comments.

Benjamin (AOL)- thank you for your information on the Irish and the Erie Canal. I used some of that to add to my posting. Thank You.

We do not have any connection to the Claire society other then fighting over the lounge chairs at the pool, lol.

My family worked very hard, over many years at the Fern Cliff. The owners ,at the time, were some of the finest people you could wish to meet. Strong freindships were made over those summers, some even led to marriages and then children.
I would not trade my summers at the Fern Cliff House for the world.
P.S. Gavins ( our former rivals) appeares to be the last strong hold for families.