Laurel House (1852-1967)

One of the attractions for visitors to the Catskill Mountain House was to walk to the nearby Kaaterskill Falls. There was a small mill pond just up Spruce Creek from the falls, and, for a few coins, the miller would open the gate on the dam, "turning on" the falls. As business at the Mountain House grew, so did the number of visitors to the falls, and in 1852 Peter Schutt built his own boarding house for 50 at the top of the falls. It was enlarged to a full scale hotel in 1881. The hotel also replaced the miller's pond with their own dam and pond on Lake Creek, closer to the falls.

It remained in operation to 1963, long after the larger and grander Catskill Mountain House and Hotel Kaaterskill had closed their doors. It was so badly decayed by the time the state acquired it, it was burned to the ground in 1967 and its grounds added to the Forest Preserve.