For years, hikers on Walnut Mountain would pass an old foundation near the summit and wonder what once stood there.
Now, thanks to volunteer research, community collaboration and local support, visitors can learn the answer for themselves.
This weekend, the Town of Liberty will officially open the Walnut Mountain House History Trail, a one-mile round-trip interpretive walk that tells the story of the Walnut Mountain House, a mountaintop hotel that once drew visitors seeking cool air, sweeping views and a retreat from everyday life.
The project grew out of a chance conversation between local hikers and volunteer researchers Lisa Lyon and Ruth Huggler.
“We were hiking together,” Lyonss recalled. Huggler, a volunteer with the local historical society, mentioned she had a photograph from her family’s collection that might interest Lyons.
“There’s a photograph you might want to see from my family collection and it’s a stunner,” Lyons remembered being told.
That photograph now appears on one of the interpretive panels along the trail.
For Huggler, uncovering the history of the long-gone resort meant revisiting an important chapter in Liberty’s development.
The Walnut Mountain House was built after property on the mountain was purchased by a hotel developer from Ellenville in the 1880s. Construction began in 1886. At the time, the mountain was largely open farmland, offering unobstructed views across the surrounding countryside.
“The big draw was the cool air, the beautiful views,” Huggler said.
Those views became central to the research effort.
Lyons said the investigation began with old colorized postcards depicting the hotel. She and Huggler spent years hiking the mountain in every season, comparing the landscape to the historic images.
“We’d be trying to figure out where all those postcard pictures were taken,” Lyons said.
The project eventually evolved from historical curiosity into a public trail experience.
Town officials say the volunteers’ enthusiasm and extensive research helped move the idea forward.
Nick Rusin, who assists with grant administration in the Town Supervisor’s Office, said the depth of the research motivated town leaders to support the project.
“The wealth of knowledge, their research, the depth that they had behind it really made us motivated and really got us engaged,” he said.
Town Supervisor Frank DeMayo said he first heard about the proposal several years ago at a Sullivan 180 event.
Over the next three years, volunteers, town officials, students and community partners worked together to develop the trail.
“It’s that collaboration and development of partnerships that make projects like this happen,” said DeMayo.
Visitors walking the trail won’t encounter a steep mountain climb. Instead, Lyons describes the route as a gradual ascent along a wide red-shale path. Along the way, hikers can stop at what organizers call the “Catch Your Breath Bench” before continuing toward the summit. At the top, visitors will find more than historical information. They’ll find an opportunity to imagine the landscape as it once appeared.
Rusin recently visited the summit alongside more than 30 student volunteers helping prepare the site.
What struck him most was seeing young people connect with the history beneath their feet.
“It was amazing to see them working around the foundation, getting a sense of the history, getting a sense of what came before,” he said.
Huggler sees the trail as both a historical resource and a reminder of the value of public lands. Having grown up across the street from Walnut Mountain, she remembers the area as a childhood playground and says she is grateful the town preserved it for future generations.
“We really should honor these public lands that we have and just enjoy them,” she said.
Lyons hopes visitors of all ages will discover something special there.
“I can walk there with families with little kids … but all the way to my eldest friends and they will all enjoy the experience,” she said.
Image: This private family photo of the Walnut Mountain House has only one person identified—William Gerow, a carpenter from Liberty known to have worked on building the hotel. (Town of Liberty)