Brown’s Hotel and Borscht Belt Legacy Honored with New Historic Marker in Loch Sheldrake

The legacy of the Catskills’ fabled Borscht Belt is being kept alive one marker at a time. Tomorrow, the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project will unveil its 12th official marker in Loch Sheldrake, honoring Brown’s Hotel and the area’s once-iconic resorts that made Sullivan County a cultural epicenter.

“Brown’s is one of those big names like the Concord or Grossinger’s,” said Marisa Scheinfeld, photographer, historian, and co-founder of the project. “These weren’t just vacation spots. They were cultural epicenters. Everyone from Jerry Lewis and Joan Rivers to Sammy Davis Jr. performed here.”

Brown’s Hotel, long known as a landmark of entertainment and leisure, was part of a network of over 500 hotels and thousands of bungalow colonies that defined mid-20th century life in the Catskills. The new historical marker doesn’t just commemorate the resort’s heyday; it also recognizes Loch Sheldrake’s lesser-known history as a hotspot for boxing, and even as a remote refuge for gangsters from New York City—some of whom used the area as a literal dumping ground, according to local historian John Conway.

Scheinfeld noted that the project initially focused on the major towns like Liberty, Fallsburg, and Thompson, but is now expanding to smaller communities. “When we started, there wasn’t a single historical marker for the Borscht Belt. To be unveiling our 12th feels like real progress. Our goal is to get to 20.”

The unveiling will be followed by a public screening of *A Walk on the Moon*, a film chosen for its direct ties to Catskills history. Written by Pamela Gray, who spent summers in local bungalows, the 1999 film portrays a family vacationing in Sullivan County in the summer of 1969, against the backdrop of the moon landing and Woodstock.

Scheinfeld said the film captures the unique world of the bungalow colonies, “a whole other Borscht Belt experience that sometimes gets overshadowed by the big hotels.”

The screening will take place inside an original Borscht Belt nightclub that remains intact, offering visitors a rare chance to experience the setting firsthand.

The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project has several more events lined up, including nighttime dedications in Woodbourne on August 23 and community celebrations in Parksville and Livingston Manor later this fall.

The project encourages locals to share personal stories and artifacts. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a partner in the effort, is recording oral histories at dedication events. “Don’t throw anything away,” Scheinfeld urged. “Every story matters.”

For more information, including how to attend events or contribute to the project, visit BorschtBeltHistoricalMarkerProject.org — or, MayTheBorschtBeWithYou.org.

Image: Hotel Evans, Fan Fare Nightclub, Loch Sheldrake, NY, ca. 1960. (Credit: Steingart Associates)