A northern Wayne County landmark restaurant, tavern and lodging place, The Inn at Starlight Lake, burned down Tuesday morning, Feb. 11.“Everyone is safe, there were no guests, and our family is safe at home,” stated a post on the inn’s Facebook page that morning. Just a few days before, an advertisement for what wo...
A northern Wayne County landmark restaurant, tavern and lodging place, The Inn at Starlight Lake, burned down Tuesday morning, Feb. 11.
“Everyone is safe, there were no guests, and our family is safe at home,” stated a post on the inn’s Facebook page that morning. Just a few days before, an advertisement for what would have been their upcoming Valentine’s Day dinner was posted on the page.
The Hancock Herald was reporting Tuesday morning that local fire departments were on scene early that day at the inn at 289 Starlight Lake Road, combatting the destructive blaze. WNEP reported that fire officials had a hard time gaining access to water due to the nearby lake being frozen over.
Laura Travis, the secretary for Buckingham Township where the inn is located, lives just up the road and would normally drive by the in every day. She said the orange glow from the fire lit the sky before dawn.
"We lost our house in the 1990s. I know how hard it is," Travis said. "My heart is breaking for them." She said the Inn is owned by Sari Schwartz, who lived there. Sari's daughter Hari Beth lives nearby. Travis recalled Sari's late husband Jimmy Schwartz was personable and might be seen socializing with customers. Sari and Jimmy Schwartz bought the inn in 2005.
Travis said her first real paying job was at the Inn, as a teenager washing dishes. Her sister was 14 and had her working papers and was hired. Laura, who was only 12, came along and helped her sister; the owners at the time liked Laura and kept her on.
"It's very sad; it was one of the fixtures of Starlight," Travis said. She stated there are not many old landmarks left in the area, other than the Buckingham Township building which started as the Ontario & Western (O&W) Railroad depot, the church and some old homes.
The Inn at Starlight Lake was constructed in 1909. Across from Starlight Lake and a short distance from the O&W depot, in its day city-dwelling vacationers sought refuge by the train load in the fresh air of rural Wayne, lodging at the Inn or at many a farmhouse that took in boarders.
The three-story inn had 21 guestrooms, an outdoor tennis court, terrace and garden, restaurant, bar/lounge, library and conference facilities. It is close by the O&W rail-trail hiking path.
Travis commented that lots of local people once worked there or know people who did.
She said that the inn has been a popular place every summer where people came to dine and enjoy recreation. It had a liquor license that extended to the porch and even to the shoreline across the road. Sailboat races are popular on the lake.
She said she would look up at the fine old inn, with its roof, big windows and fire escape, and worry about it ever catching fire and how quickly these old wooden structures can go. A few years ago, a cottage behind the inn burned down, leaving a wall and fireplace that is still standing. She said it was always hard to drive by and see that, and wonders how it will be looking at the scene now, the inn in ruins.
A phone message was left with Hancock Fire Department, and Facebook messages were sent to Northern Wayne Volunteer Fire Department and the Buckingham Township Emergency Management Coordinator, without replies by Tuesday afternoon. There were no answers to phone calls to Northern Wayne or Equinunk fire companies.
Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at [email protected] or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.