The Alberta Lodge and the Singer Family (2009)
Isabelle Stroell was born on October 13, 1914 in her grandparents’ home in Newark, New Jersey. John Singer was born on March 10, 1909. After graduating from high school, Isabelle managed one of the bakeries owned by her family in New York City. John worked for the Consolidated Edison Company and on weekends worked at Henry’s Bay View Inn on the Long Island Sound, which was a popular dining spot for the New York Yankees. There, he met Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra, to name a few. Isabelle and John met on a blind date in June, 1934 and, on November 21, 1936, were married. They both were wonderful dancers and the following year won the Harvest Moon Ball for All-Around Champion Dancers. They put this hobby on hold when their family began to grow.
Each summer, Isabelle and John vacationed for two weeks in Greene County. Friendly, outgoing, ambitious, and desirous of owning their own business, Isabelle and John also wanted a safe place for their two daughters to grow up and get a good education in a beautiful country town. While vacationing in Greenville in 1949, they had a realtor show them places for sale. They often remarked that the first time they drove up the road and saw The Alberta Lodge they fell in love with the house and property.
That was it! They were going to open a resort. Not knowing all the hard work and sacrifices necessary to make the business successful, they bought Alberta on March 17, 1950 (St. Patrick’s Day would bring them luck, they said). The next day, Isabelle, John, and their two daughters, Jeannette and Linda, rode in their car to Freehold with as many belongings as would fit; John’s brother-in-law drove a truck with furniture, clothing and household items. Today Jeannette (beside mom) and Linda (on dad’s back) recall that time. “Approaching the driveway of our new home, we could hardly believe that we were going to live in this huge house with all its open fields, and nothing else in sight of our property. The snow on the frozen ground was two feet deep, and the cold and damp house had not been lived in for 10 years (1940-1950). Thank goodness Isabelle’s Mom had made a large jar of soup along with rye bread and coffee cake for us to eat as our first meal in our new home. Needless to say, none of us slept well that first night. The next day was both exciting and a little scary for us girls, going from room to room and just imagining the good things we would find; it was like a treasure hunt… and it was all ours.”
When Isabelle and John bought Alberta, they knew that it had not been open for 10 years and that there was no guest list – they had to build up their business by themselves. When the Arloff family owned and operated the Alberta Lodge as a resort from 1924 to 1940, they named the resort after their daughter, Alberta; the Singers decided to keep the name. From March through the beginning of July, Isabelle and John were the carpenters, painters, wall-paperers, landscapers, etc., trying to get the house ready to open.
On July 4, 1950 the Singers opened “their” Alberta Lodge. They depended on family and friends as guests; Isabelle did all the cooking, baking, and reservation-taking for the first couple of years; and John planned all the activities and took care of the maintenance and yardwork, while their daughters did the dishes by hand. One family member took care of the rooms, and a friend was the waitress. They were happy to have a dozen guests a week the first season (1950) they opened – July 4 through Labor Day Weekend. The second season saw 20 to 30 guests per week, the fifth season 50 to 60 guests, etc. Each year as the business grew through recommendations, they hired more employees, and the season was extended from Memorial Day Weekend through the last weekend in September. Many improvements were made over the years; the barn on the property was converted into a nightclub “The Hay Loft,” while a pool, motels, bungalows, cottage, tennis courts, etc. were added.
The Singers love their guests as family, and the guests felt the same way about the Singer family. In 1979, John thought it was time to retire as he and Isabelle had built Alberta from a farmhouse in 1950 to a beautiful and prosperous business of 120 guests a week. It was mixed emotions for all. The Alberta Lodge was sold in 1979, and Isabelle and John moved to their home overlooking the ocean in Boca Raton, Florida. During the summer, they would stay in Greenville visiting friends and family.
Isabelle died on August 26, 1986, three months before celebrating her and John’s 50th wedding anniversary. John died on November 7, 2007 four months before his 99th birthday. Isabelle and John are both buried in the Greenville cemetery.
Isabelle and John always said they were so happy they moved to the Greenville area with their daughters. It was a great place to live, to own a business and to have made so many wonderful and caring friends.
- written by daughters Jeannette Rose and Linda Berger