Lebanon Valley Business Association

New Lebanon, NY – The Out of Sight “Place Just Right”

In 1785, when the small Utopian religious community known as the Shakers sought a permanent home, they chose land in what later became the Town of New Lebanon in New York. By the middle of the next century, the Mount Lebanon Shaker Society headquarters had grown to a substantial place with approximately 500 members. Elder Joseph Brackett celebrated their “place just right” in the work song he wrote, called Simple Gifts.

Today, New Lebanon retains the spirit of a “place just right,” although for a first-time visitor the simple gifts of the town may seem hidden from view. Driving too quickly east-west on US Route 20 or north-south on NY Route 22 (map), you could miss the attractions that line these main roads. But there are many more, out of sight on the town’s more than 40 miles of secondary roads, that best represent New Lebanon’s character and legacy. Slow down – better yet, stop – and look around, and the hidden will come into view.

Down Darrow Road, discover the Shaker village, now occupied by four organizations: private secondary-level Darrow School, the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village (museum and library), Tannery Pond Concerts, and The Abode of the Message. In the Shaker Village the Great Stone Barn, a designated World Monument Watch List site, waits patiently for restoration.

Up Main Street and Pool Hill Road in Lebanon Springs, find the remnants of the Warm Spring, which was a famous spa in the early 19^th century, visited by luminaries such as the Marquis de Lafayette, Charles Dickens, and Livingston family members. Prosperous down-staters rode the Lebanon Springs Railroad into town to “take the waters” for a while in the summer. Today, the railroad bed provides a path for scenic walks, and one of the train station buildings can be found standing in the center of town. Around the time of the Civil War, the Lebanon Spa was eclipsed by the larger resort at Saratoga, and slowly declined into a 21^st century memory.

NY State Historic Markers commemorate the Booge-Torrey, Gilbert, and Murdock houses; The Kendall Shop, where perhaps the first American thermometers were made; and the site of the first Free Library “established March 12, 1804, by Dr. Jesse Torrey, father of the Public Library Movement of America”. The descendant of that library lives on in the New Lebanon Library, which maintains a sizeable local history collection. Torrey’s library may have inspired native son Samuel J. Tilden’s bequest to fund a free library in NY City, which became the NYC Public Library. Tilden is buried in the Cemetery of the Evergreens. In 1824, his father, Elmer “Elam” Tilden, founded a pharmaceutical company in New Lebanon, based partly on Shaker herbal concoctions from native plants found in the “Shaker Swamp”. The Tilden Company operated for 139 years.

The spirit of “place just right” is not just about the past. Visitors discover a number of fine lodgings, restaurants, and attractions in the Town and can use New Lebanon as a base from which to explore the nearby Berkshires. The Upper Hudson Valley and Vermont are also only a short drive away.

Stay in one of the B&Bs in town:

· Churchill House – three spacious rooms.

· The Grant House – 518-392-4433.

· The Hitchcock House – five rooms and a guest house.

· Shaker Meadows – six rooms and three suites.

· The Spencer House – six rooms.

· The Berkshire Mountain House – six rooms, one suite, and a cottage.

For the budget-minded, The Valley Rest Motel offers 14 rooms on US Route 20. Phone 518-794-7551 for reservations and directions.

When hunger strikes, these places stand ready to help:

· Bucky’s Bagels, Pizza, etc. – breakfast and lunch every day.

· China City Takeout – Chinese cuisine. 518-794-9181.

· Mario’s – Italian-American Hybrid lunch and dinner. Reviewed here.

· Jimmy D’s Pizza Royale & Restaurant – light fare, family-friendly ambiance.

· The Pillars – American cuisine, dinner only.

· The Triple Nickel – a pleasing café open on the weekends.

· Shaker Mountain Barbeque – wings and more.

· Fresco’s – pasta, subs, wood-fired pizza. 518-794-9339.

· Hitchingpost Café – breakfast and lunch. 518-794-9092

Enjoy history, the arts, nature and shopping:

· Tour the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, the Shaker Museum and Library, and (ten minutes away in Massachusetts) the Hancock Shaker Village. Further study of Shaker history can be done weekdays or Saturday morning in the reference room at the New Lebanon Library.

· Visit the Lebanon Spring and taste the waters. While there, a hike up Old Mountain Road leads to the western side of the Pittsfield State Forest. See the Indian Head Fountain and nearby Shatford Park. A short drive away more delightful hiking can be had at the Columbia Land Conservancy. Walks on any of the town’s roads will bring forest and farm to your senses.

· Take in a play at The Theatre Barn or music at Tannery Pond Concerts.

· For motor sports fans, the Lebanon Valley Speedway offers thrilling stock car and drag racing fun, April to November.

· On the weekends, a vigorous Flea Market operates from March through November at the Tilden Shoppes.

· Shoppers will also want to visit Angel’s Trumpet; Classic Framing and Art; Corner Store Antiques; GJ Askins Bookseller; Judy’s Gifts; Meissner’s Auction Service and Antiques Center; Queechy Wine & Spirits; and Red Barn Antiques. Or pick up a nice gazebo at Shed Man!

Come, find the out of sight “place just right.”

Doug Banker 794-9764