About Us

Construction was started on 1912 and completed in
1913 at a cost of $20,000.00 on 5000 acres. The Lodge
was also called The Allegheny Sportsman's Club in its
early days and was primarily a private hunting and
fishing preserve. Several Elk were brought in from
Yellowstone National Park and later from Montana for
hunting.
The Lodge was a destinations for sportsmen and their
ladies in the 20th century. The Lodge itself had two
behemoth double fireplaces on the first floor. The first
floor room was segregated into two sections. One side
had dainty furniture and a piano for the ladies and the
other side of the room had a bar, stereo and over sized
furniture for the men   The Lodge rose from the ground
four stories with taxidermied wildlife scattered
throughout the hallways. From bear to deer and
pheasants to blue herons covered the walls of the
lodge's first floor walls; Elk horns hung on the porches.
The large inviting porches were wonderful breezy
escapes with beautiful views. Pine floors ran
throughout the lodge.   Furnishings ranged from
antique to modern. The staircases were exceptional
works of art.
The second and third floors were used for lodging. The
kitchen, dining room, game room and the locker room
were located in the basement. A widows walk was
located on the forth floor; you could see for miles down
the Knapps Creek Valley.
The Lodge burned to the ground in October of 1983.
Five cottages remain along with an apartment,a garage,
a cellar, the wash house (now an office) and the shell of
the original foundation that held that grand Lodge. The
current owners State Senator Walt Helmick and his
wife, Rita, plan to rebuild this spectacular lodge and
bring the property back to its original grandeur.
The property sits on 200 acres, with the surrounding
acreage owned by USDA Forest Services. The views
are beautiful. The cabins are refurbished with the pine
ceiling and floors and reflect the colors and textures of
that era of time.
The property contains a natural spring which is bottled
and distributed under the name Minnehaha Mist. The
label features the Lodge's impressive entrance gate.