Lacawac Sanctuary Historic Great Camp - Lake Ariel, PA

Historic Lodging at Lacawac. We invite you to look at this historic Lodge and Great Camp as charming and a quaint departure from everyday conveniences—a step back in time that allows you to enjoy the infinite splendors and majestic scenery that is Lacawac Sanctuary.

Yes, it is true…our historic 1903 lodge has floors that creak, walls that are thin, and separate hot and cold knobs on the sinks…but you are staying in a Registered Historic Landmark.

Historic Watres Lodge

The Lodge is made of all southern yellow pine including exterior shakes and interior wall, floor and ceiling treatments. Local oak was used for the trim and exterior features such as railings and columns. It features 13 separate gables! A large, open sitting porch faces the lake. There are 8 bedrooms, a summer sleeping porch, 3 bathrooms, a large kitchen, pantry, walk in ice box, seasonal breezeway, dining room and parlor. Large screened wrap-around porches formerly adorned the exterior but were removed as a result of extensive termite damage.

Interior highlights include the Inglenook fireplace surrounded by an expansive double staircase in the parlor. A window wall and door lead outside to the large lake fronting porch. Hatch doors allow passing fire wood directly into storage boxes by the fireplace. The expansive dining room—which today can seat over 25 people for dinner—has its own fireplace and built-in oak china cabinets. The bisecting breezeway provides cool air in summer between the kitchen and the rest of the house. Off the kitchen is a large pantry with built in oak cabinets but missing are the original three stone wash sinks used by the servants, and the big coal stove.

The Lodge is ideal for family reunions, corporate retreats, weddings, family celebrations, or a summer weekend get-away with family and friends.

Ice House

This building is named for its original function—storing ice. Ice harvesting on Lacawac in winter was a regular venture by the hired help to serve the needs of the Lodge year-round. The walls are so thick and the building so well insulated that large blocks of ice could be stored here in a bed of saw dust for up to a year - requiring no electricity or energy. The blocks were ultimately carted across the yard and hoisted by a built in crane to a loft above the walk-in ice box that served the lodge’s kitchen. The building was so cold that local residents often used it to hang and store game for consumption later in the year.

The windows and second interior floor were added in the 1950’s when the structure was converted to a winter cottage for use by Arthur and Isabel Watres.

Lacawac’s rustic Ice House is equipped with a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms (sleeps 5), and bathroom. The Ice House is ideal for long-stay visitors and families.

Carriage House and Barn

The Carriage House is used as lecture hall, event and performance venue. It was built to house the horses and wagons needed to operate the estate and transport the residents here from the train station seven miles away in Lake Ariel. Today, the upstairs hay loft has been remodeled to serve as laboratories for ecological research conducted on the lake. The downstairs remains almost entirely intact and you can even still see the individual horse stalls and antique fittings.