New York Acquires Catskill Land, Site Of Historic Hotel

CATSKILL, N.Y. (AP) — New York state has acquired a tract in the Catskills that includes remnants of a historic hotel and provides increased access to a popular network of hiking and cross-country skiing trails.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos says the 50 acres in the Greene County town of Catskill will become part of the Windham Blackhead Range Wilderness Area in the Catskill Forest Preserve.

The property includes remnants of the historic Rip Van Winkle House, which served as a resting place for people traveling by horse-drawn coach from Sleepy Hollow to the grand Catskill Mountain House at North Lake in the 1800s.

The state bought the land for a dollar from Edward Maby, whose family has owned it since 1896.