Catskill, NY, a village located along the banks of the Hudson River, is a historic river town filled with natural attractions. Biking along the mountain trails, swimming in the sparkling waters, or hiking to new heights, the village is filled with charming small towns, scenic seasonal views of the bright and colorful leaves falling in autumn, and is the county seat of Greene County, New York. Many Black tourists came to the Catskills to get away from the busy bustling life of New York City and to provide their families and themselves a moment of time in nature. Just two hours away from the city, Black tourists from the metropolitan area were able to travel not too far from home. Black-owned Catskill Resorts such as PegLeg Bates Country Club, Jessie’s Manna Farm, Kings Lodge, and Paradise Farms were well-known safe havens that catered to all tourists’ needs. 

The Catskills’ natural charm caught the attention of many people, who created a safe haven for leisure, care, and restorative rest. The summer resort known as Kings Lodge was created in 1937 by a successful Black businessman, M.C. Owen, and his wife, Chester Grundy, founder of the Natural Black Holistic Society. Originally planned as a space for their family to be safe, as more friends and folks visited, it expanded as a summer resort that welcomed all vacationers with “… a desire for upper-middle class blacks to cut loose and enjoy time off with their family.” Civil Rights activists such as A. Philip Randolph and Ralph Bunche often visited. As other resorts declined from integration after the civil rights era, Kings Lodge was able to stay afloat for two more generations, keeping the tradition of family service alive until it closed its doors in 2001. 

Sally Walker’s Paradise Farms, located in Cuddebackville, NY, was a resort for year-round travelers. Amenities such as cookouts, swimming pools, gift shops, and outdoor activities attracted many people who came every season to dance, unwind, and relax comfortably in peace, with weekly rates as low as $45 a visit. Paradise Farm and Kings Lodge were both listed in the 1956 edition of The Negro Motorist Green Book. 

Jessie’s Mania Farms, owned by Jules Bledsoe, was established in the Catskills mountains in Roxbury. After serving in the military in World War I, Bledsoe’s successful career as a world-traveling baritone singer helped make his vision a reality to create spaces for Black folks to get away from city life. He offered the farm as the perfect resort and ideal get-away for African Americans, especially for those who enjoyed the outdoors because of its close proximity to the East branch of the Delaware River. The resort provided guests with an array of freshwater fish, seasonal vegetables, delicious pastries, and different areas for leisure, such as tennis courts and pools, until its closing. 

Catskill’s Peg Leg Bates Country Club, also known as Mountain Valley Country Club, was created in the early 1950s by owner Clayton Bates. Known as “Peg-Leg Bates,” an accomplished international Broadway performer, he was known for his signature tap dance style incorporating his wooden leg. He performed with the bands of Duke Ellington, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, and many more. Modeling the country club after the resorts, he wasn’t allowed to stay in, his resort offered 110 rooms, nightclubs, swimming pools, golf courses, all-you-can-eat buffets, scenic bike paths, bike rentals, and Broadway floor shows. Bates also included special weekend packages, special midweek packages, and a one-day picnic package for day guests. The country club started to decline in the years following racial integration.  The resort operated until Bates’s retirement in 1989. The property was purchased and operated as Mountain Valley Resort until its closing in 2012. 

Peg-Leg Bates Country Club, Kings Lodge, Paradise Farms, and Jessie’s Mania Farm were well-known leisure spots in the Catskill area that hold a rich history of leisure and happy memories for the Black community and as a reminder of rest as resistance during one of the most challenging periods of U.S. history.

Neel, Amanda. “Leanna_barcelona.” The Texas Collection, February 13, 2018. https://blogs.baylor.edu/texascollection/2018/02/13/jules-bledsoe-wacos-famous-baritone/.

“Pegleg Bates.” Green Books, n.d.
https://community.village.virginia.edu/greenbooks/content/pegleg-bates/.

Chesapeake Heartland Archive. “Trip to Kings Lodge Resort in Otisville, NY.” Heartland Project. Still Image : Trip to Kings Lodge resort in Otisville, NY [CH_CA_2021_SC_006_051], n.d. https://archive.chesapeakeheartland.org/index.php/Detail/objects/2735.

List of Images

1. Cover photo- Loeffler, John Jacob. “Dining Room of the Hotel Kaaterskill” (c. 1890). Vedder Research Library. https://vedderresearchlibrary.org/
2. Featured photo- “The Kings Lodge,” Postcard (1964). Author’s personal collection.
3. Featured photo- “Paradise Farms,” Postcard (c. 1950s). Author’s personal collection.
4. Featured photo- Nast, Thomas. “Harpers Weekly.” July 21, 1866. Vedder Research Library. https://vedderresearchlibrary.org/