Oakdene
William and Phoebe Middaugh Owen’s four-story Oakdene was first advertised around 1900. Oakdene was not on Washington Lake, but located southeast of the intersection of Airport Road and Washington Lake Road. Oakdene, run by Phoebe Owen for many years, is thought to have burned down sometime in the mid-1930s.
Twin Oak Cottage
• Twin Oak Cottage, Flieger, Washington Lake. Near churches. Boating, bathing, fishing, handball. Running water every room. $15 to 20. (Charles Flieger built Twin Oaks Cottage.—1934 to 1936 Ads.
• Twin Oaks, Flieger On Washington Lake. Modern House. Private beach, boating, bathing, churches, casinos. Barryville 2745.—1946 Ad.
I learned to swim at Twin Oaks in the late fifties. I remember a man who, I thought owned the resort, Mr. Caras. He knew my uncle, Fred Hensel, and let my brother and I swim there.
Thank you for your comment Raymond!—Louise
Jeanne: I remember in the 60s, I think third grade, there was a girl in my class Maureen Finn. She lived at Twin Oaks I thought but the next year she was gone. Was there a Maureen?
My uncle, Thomas Finn was co owner of Twin Oaks Lodge in the late 1960s. He and his wife Anne had 11 children.
We have so many great family memories of staying there for a week every summer, and running down the hill as fast as we could and then jumping into the lake! You could buy ice cream and soda in the barn-like rec room, while playing ping pong and listening to music.
My older cousins, Clarisse and Annie were waitresses in the dining room, which had beautiful views of Washington Lake. All of us younger kids were thrilled if we were chosen to ring the dinner bell!
I remember Palmer, the life guard, and jumping off the raft into the lake.
There was an older couple, the Vacases, who lived in a little cottage down by the lake. They were from Yonkers and were so welcoming to all of us kids. Mr Vacas would even let us try to play his bugle. Mrs Vacas used to swim in the lake early every morning.
I remember visiting Twin Oaks long after my uncle had sold it to someone from Queens NY, who only used the house for storage, and then it eventually burned down. It was so heartbreaking to be there when Twin Oaks was no longer there. We stopped in to visit the Vacases, as we were now older. At that time they were nursing their grown son, Ted, through a terminal illness at their little bungalow on the lake. Such a sweet couple they were. So many beautiful childhood memories were made at Twin Oaks Lodge.