The Inn Transformed 1910 ~ 1923

The Inn Transformed 1910 ~ 1923. . , A Change of Plans , ~ Twin brothers, John and Anthony Kuser, purchased the High Point Inn and the surrounding 1,700-acre property in 1910. After operating the Inn for one summer, John sold his interest to Anthony and his wife, Susie Dryden Kuser. They remodeled the Inn, tearing down a third of the structure and transforming it into a Colonial Revival-style mansion. They also inherited an additional 8,000 acres of the ridgetop from Susie's father, John Dryden, U.S. Senator and founder of the Prudential Insurance Company., Private Refuge to Public Park , ~ For over a decade, the almost 10,000-acre estate was the home of Kuser vacations and became a regional landmark. The Kusers also began to welcome the public, allowing others to enjoy the natural beauty of the estate. Ultimately, the Kusers decided that the mountaintop tract should continue to be open to everyone who wanted to enjoy it. They donated their estate to the State of New Jersey to create a public park and High Point Park opened in 1923, becoming one of the first state parks in New Jersey., A Monument to Veterans , ~ Five years after the creation of High Point Park, at the conclusion of world war one, the Kusers proposed and financed the construction of the Monument at the highest elevation in the state of New Jersey to honor all New Jersey veterans past, present, and future., [Photo caption reads] Colonel Anthony Kuser, on the right, with members of the High Point Park Commission and other dignitaries, poses with a model of the future High Point Monument., A Dramatic Transformation , The transformation from Adirondack-style inn to Colonial Revival-style mansion was so dramatic that rumors that the original High Point Inn building burned down still persist today., To accomplish it, a crew of thirty-six carpenters working with electricians, gas-fitters, plumbers, masons, and decorators, demolished the southern third of the Inn and remodeled what remained., When complete, the basement housed a kitchen, servants' dining room, bathrooms, and utility rooms. On the main floor were living, dining, and billiard rooms with stone fireplaces, as well as a breakfast room, library, coat and gun room, and pantry. There were eleven bedrooms and six baths on the second floor, and servants' rooms and baths were on the third floor.