Roscoe in Sullivan County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Borscht Belt - Roscoe
Borscht Belt Marker Project
Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation
Photographed by Marisa Scheinfeld
1. Borscht Belt - Roscoe Marker
Inscription.
Borscht Belt - Roscoe. Borscht Belt Marker Project. , Roscoe marks the northwestern edge of Sullivan County, where the Willowemoc and Beaverkill Rivers meet. A gateway between the Catskills fishing country and the resort corridor to the south, Roscoe became a hub for artists, nature lovers, and anglers with the arrival of the O&W Railroad in the late 19th century. By the 1940s, Roscoe promoted itself in the O&W Railway Vacation Guide, boasting picturesque views likened to the Alps. , During the Borscht Belts heyday, Roscoe was home to over a dozen hotels welcoming Jewish vacationers. Opened in 1900, the Campbell Inn was known as A Little Switzerland in the Catskills, featuring panoramic views and late Victorian architecture. Once Mountain Springs Hotel, Marian Gables Inn offered fresh air and lakeside recreation. Blending modern comforts with serene lakeside surroundings, Tennanah Lake House offered guests both relaxation and style. Its Century Room was a cutting-edge example of mid-century architecture. , Other local hotels included Alpine Country Club, Antrim Lodge, Chiloway, Hillside River View, Huff House, Lakewood Farm Inn, Pine Lawn, Riepings Lodge, and Rockland House. , ( back )
Borscht Belt. From the 1920s through the early 1970s, the Borscht Belt was the preeminent summer resort destination for hundreds of thousands of predominantly east coast American Jews. The exclusion of the Jewish community from existing establishments in the 1920s drove Jewish entrepreneurs to create over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows, and 1,000 rooming houses in Sullivan County and parts of Ulster County. The Borscht Belt provided a sense of community for working and vacationing Jews. The era exerted a strong influence on American culture, particularly in the realm of entertainment, music, and sports. Some of the most well-known and influential people of the 20th century worked and vacationed in the area. Beginning around 1960, the Borscht Belt began a gradual demise due to many factors, including the growth of suburbia, inexpensive airfare, and generational changes. ,
Jewish American Society for Historic Peservation , Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project , Sullivan County Historian.
Roscoe marks the northwestern edge of Sullivan County, where the
Willowemoc and Beaverkill Rivers meet. A gateway between the Catskills
fishing country and the resort corridor to the south, Roscoe became a hub
for artists, nature lovers, and anglers with the arrival of the O&W Railroad in
the late 19th century. By the 1940s, Roscoe promoted itself in the O&W Railway Vacation Guide, boasting picturesque views likened to the Alps.
During the Borscht Belts heyday, Roscoe was home to over a dozen hotels welcoming Jewish vacationers. Opened in 1900, the Campbell Inn was
known as A Little Switzerland in the Catskills, featuring panoramic views
and late Victorian architecture. Once Mountain Springs Hotel, Marian
Gables Inn offered fresh air and lakeside recreation. Blending modern
comforts with serene lakeside surroundings, Tennanah Lake House offered guests both relaxation and style. Its Century Room was a cutting-edge example of mid-century architecture.
Other local hotels included Alpine Country Club, Antrim Lodge, Chiloway,
Hillside River View, Huff House, Lakewood Farm Inn, Pine Lawn, Riepings
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Lodge, and Rockland House.
( back )
Borscht Belt
From the 1920s through the early 1970s, the Borscht Belt was the preeminent summer resort destination for hundreds of thousands of predominantly east coast American Jews. The exclusion of the Jewish community from existing establishments in the 1920s drove Jewish entrepreneurs to create over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows, and 1,000 rooming houses in Sullivan County and parts of Ulster County. The Borscht Belt provided a sense of community for working and vacationing Jews. The era exerted a strong influence on American culture, particularly in the realm of entertainment, music, and sports. Some of the most well-known and influential people of the 20th century worked and vacationed in the area. Beginning around 1960, the Borscht Belt began a gradual demise due to many factors, including the growth of suburbia, inexpensive airfare, and generational changes.
Jewish American Society for Historic Peservation
Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project
Sullivan County Historian
Erected 2026 by Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
Location. 41° 55.899′ N, 74° 54.82′ W. Marker is in Roscoe, New York, in Sullivan County. It is at the intersection of Stewart Avenue and Railroad Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Stewart Avenue. Located across the street from the Roscoe O&W Railway Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5 Railroad Avenue, Roscoe NY 12776, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York and in the Hudson Valley. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within
The Borscht Belt
The region came to be called the Jewish Alps, Solomon County or more often, simply The Mountains. But another expression, the Borscht Belt, so-named for the hearty beet soup born in Eastern Europe, has had more staying power. What began as a patchwork of Jewish-owned farms whose proprietors took in summertime boarders to make ends meet grew into a sprawling constellation of all-inclusive resorts, hotels and more modest bungalow colonies and kuchalayns establishments with shared kitchens. The larger, more successful establishments like Kutshers, The Concord and The Nevele had thousands of rooms, nightclubs, indoor pools and ski slopes.
(Submitted on July 12, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
2. Borscht Belt (Wikipedia). (Submitted on July 13, 2026, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 19 times since then. Photos:1. submitted on July 12, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. 2. submitted on July 13, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. 3. submitted on July 12, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
