Annotation:Mountain House
MOUNTAIN HOUSE. American, Waltz. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB'. Composed by fiddler Jay Ungar (West Hurley, N.Y.) in 1994, for the 125th anniversary of the Mohunk Mountain House, a Shawangunk Mountain resort near New Paltz, N.Y., in continuous operation since 1869 by generations of the Smiley family.
In 1869, Alfred Smiley purchased Mohonk Lake and some surrounding land and the tavern located on the property from John F. Stokes. A tavern building on the lake was renovated in the winter of 1870 and opened in June with William Burgess as its first manager. The Smiley brothers operated the house following their Quaker beliefs, and did not permit alcohol consumption, dancing, or card playing.
