		LOCATION

Write your own page in the history of a long-standing New York State lodging tradition when you stay at a historic Adirondack cabin rental at The Cabins in Hope.

NATIVE SON RETURNS:

Claude Polmateer returned to his roots in Upstate NY (born in Montgomery County, near Gloversville) after suffering an injury while a policeman in Detroit.

Claude and his new wife Rose, lived first in Wells. Shortly thereafter on April 14, 193, they purchased 3.75 acres of gorgeous riverfront property 6 miles down the road in Hope. Not only did they begin renovations on the “camp” that was to be their home, but they constructed 4 roadside cabins. In the summer of 1932, at height of the depression, Claude and Rose launched a new business: Polmateer Cabins.

Daughter Betty (born ’33) and son Claude Jr (born ’38) never knew life in Hope without “mother’s business.” The energy of the seasonal flow of guests, whose children became playmates and where select friendships remain to this day, were woven into the fabric of their childhood.

In 1939, Claude & Rose expanded their business by purchasing the “camp” just north of their property. After Claude passed away in 1962, Rose, always considered “the innkeeper,” continued the business for more than 25 years. When Rose passed away in the spring of 1990 at the age of 85 one of Betty’s responsibilities was to call loyal customers to cancel their summer reservations that had been booked earlier by Rose.

SECOND NATIVE SON RETURNS:

During the next few years, heirs Betty and Claude Jr. divided and developed their parents’ property. Betty took the northern property, demolished the cabin, and settled in a new home with her husband, Howard. Claude and wife, Joyce, raised both the old homestead and 1 cabin and built their retirement home. In 1992, a second-generation New York son returned home to New York after a successful textile industry career in the Carolinas.

Claude Jr., ever the diligent property owner, began renovations on the cabins and bathhouse and enhanced the property to include the “pet trout pond.” Then, after more than a dozen years of sharing their Adirondack retreat with children and grandchildren, the Polmateers returned to Joyce’s roots in South Carolina to be close to family.

THIRD NATIVE SON RETURNS:

For the first time in almost three quarters of a century the Polmateers' “beautiful yard,” with more than 350 feet on the Sacandaga River, was available for purchase. Who best to appreciate the beauty of this property and the benefit of the location than a fellow New Yorker (this time from Fulton County)? In 2006, after more than 30 years not living in New York, another native son returned to the Adirondack Park he hiked and loved as a youth. He was accompanied by a “native daughter" (Nassau County): the wife he fell in love with almost 4 decades earlier while working together in Hamilton County!

For the last two seasons the current innkeepers continued the building renovations and property enhancements . They shared this special place where the “mountains meet the river” with friends and family who confirmed that The Cabins in Hope was a special place to spend a vacation.

Now, in 2009, 77 years after the first travelers enjoyed Rose’s hospitality and 20 years after her sunset season, “The Cabins in Hope…An Adirondack Bed and Breakfast” welcomes new travelers. We are building on a 57-year history of special inn-keeping by providing our guests with comfortable surroundings and visual & physical refreshment. We have combined the best of 20th century Adirondack vacation ambience with 21st century offerings to make your stay with us one of your “best memories.”

(Our thanks to our neighbor Betty Lou Polmateer Green for providing us with an oral history from which this piece was created.)

Please visit our Day Trips where we detail the many activities that you might enjoy.