Summitville in Sullivan County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Wurtzboro, Spring Glen & Highview
| — | Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project | — |
Photographed by Marisa Scheinfeld
1. Wurtzboro, Spring Glen & Highview Marker
In Mamakating, the communities of Wurtsboro, Spring Glen, and Highview formed the Borscht Belt’s southeastern gateway. Shaped by the “Liberty Highway,” which evolved into Route 17, Wurtsboro grew into a travel hub. Hotels such as the Shawanga Lodge catered to Christian guests; in 1917, the Lodge advertised “No Hebrews Accommodated,” reflecting the antisemitism that barred Jews from many public spaces.
By 1921, the Shawanga changed ownership to the Dan and Atlass families—and operated for three generations welcoming Jewish guests. The resort offered sweeping mountain views and featured the Starlight Theater, which hosted open-air performances by Alan King, Joey Adams, Leslie Uggams, Molly Picon, and the Ink Spots.
In Spring Glen, the Homowack Lodge was named after Homowack Kill, a Native American term meaning “where water runs through.” What began as a farm and boarding house grew into a mid-century resort that operated year-round, offering skiing and a bowling alley. Comedian Freddie Roman began his career there.
These communities are remembered for about 26 hotels and 50 bungalow colonies, including Bill’s Vegetarian,
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Erected 2026 by Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights
Photographed by Marisa Scheinfeld
2. Wurtzboro, Spring Glen & Highview Marker
Borscht Belt
Location. 41° 37.308′ N, 74° 27.15′ W. Marker is in Summitville, New York, in Sullivan County. It is on U.S. 209 near Summitville Road, on the left when traveling north. Located on the grounds of the Mamaking Historical Society. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 36 Summitville Road, Summitville NY 12781, 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 walking distance of this marker: The Canal & the Railroad (approx. 0.2 miles away); O&W & Summitville Station (approx. 0.2 miles away); History of the Canal (approx. 0.7 miles away); Towpath (approx. 0.7 miles away); Boothroyd House (approx. ¾ mile away); Welcome to Sullivan County's Parks (approx. ¾ mile away); Life on the Canal (approx. ¾ mile away); Locks (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Summitville.
Regarding Wurtzboro, Spring Glen & Highview. Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project:
"We’re celebrating a big milestone this Sunday, October 18: the dedication of our 20th historic marker, honoring the Borscht Belt histories of Wurtsboro, Spring Glen, and Highview.
This project launched in August 2022, and our first marker was dedicated in May 2023. When we began, there wasn’t a single historic marker in the region commemorating the Borscht Belt or Jewish life in the Catskills. The Borscht Belt as we knew it is largely gone, but the landscape is still here, along with traces of the world that once filled it. Today, our trail spans two counties, bringing that history back into public view. We’re indelibly grateful to the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, whose funding has made all 20 markers possible.
Together, the markers tell the story of the Jewish Catskills, from farms, boarding houses, hotels, resorts, and bungalow colonies to the region’s lasting influence on American culture, from comedy and music to entertainment, architecture, and design. They also recognize the history of antisemitism and exclusion that helped shape this world."
Also see . . .
1. History of the Borscht Belt.
For generations of Jews in the New York metropolitan area, there was no doubt about the location of those “mountains.” Less than 100 miles from the cramped, sweltering tenements of Manhattan’s Lower East Side was a lush patchwork of forests, farms and bustling rural towns that hosted a summertime population of nearly a million urban strivers hungry for the clean air, fresh food and familiar camaraderie that even a garment worker or cab driver could afford.(Submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
2. Remembering the Borscht Belt.
Most Borscht Belt resorts hosted traveling Jewish comedians and musicians, and many who later became famous began their careers there. Their common experience was fodder for Edward Israel Iskowitz, rebranded as Eddie Cantor; Nathan Birnbaum, reborn as George Burns; and Benjamin Kubelsky, who emerged as Jack Benny.(Submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
3. Comments of Marisa Scheinfeld on the dedication of the 20th marker, October 18, 2026, in Wurtsboro,.
It’s amazing to think about how far this project has come. When we started in the fall of 2022, we had a vision and the passion to make it happen, even if we were still figuring out how. At the time, there wasn’t a single historic marker in the region commemorating the Borscht Belt or Jewish life in the Catskills. We dedicated our first marker in Monticello in May 2023, and by the end of that year, we had four. Since then, we’ve worked town by town, place by place, to get the history right and try to do justice to this extraordinary chapter of American history.(Submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida.)
The Borscht Belt grew in part because of antisemitism and the exclusion of Jews from hotels and resorts elsewhere. For generations of Jewish immigrants and their families, the Catskills became a kind of second homeland, built through hope, hard work, and hustle.
What began with farms and homegrown tourism grew into a cultural world of its own, shaping American comedy, music, entertainment, food, architecture, hospitality, and popular culture.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 27 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 21, 2026, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
