Memories of Pine Top from Sally Byrnes Magin: I love the pictures of the ladies sitting on the front porch and the one of Laddie, Elsie and Romey's dog.Dear Peggy,
By chance, when googling "Pine Top" for sentimental reasons, I came across the Vermont Woods Studios and Stonehurst website. After spending many winter vacations as a child at Pine Top, I was so excited to see that you are keeping the memories alive! My family and our friends, from northern NJ, spent almost every President's Week in February (from about 1950 until 1958) at Pine Top, learning to ski and having a wonderful time together. In fact, one of the trails that led from the top of the "Tobey" rope tow was named "Stoddard Run" after our friends the Stoddard family.
Eventually, as our skiing skills improved, we branched out to other Vermont ski areas. It was a magical time spent with Elsie and Romey (Racine), Laddie their dog, the kitchen staff, and the local ski instructors at Pine Top. Our group took over the entire house for a week, and expanded into the "new annex" when it was built.
Some memories that I have of Pine Top are: skiing down the Pelley and Tobey slopes, struggling with those rope tows, the Tiny Tot hill, eating "sugar on snow" in the old warming hut, being excited when the "new" warning hut was built, visiting the farm and cows up the road, the bell that signaled breakfast and dinner, playing board games in front of the fireplace at night, going into Brattleboro to see ski jumping competitions, and how cold the rooms upstairs were in the mornings before the heat came up through the grates. Also, walking back from the warming hut on a cold Vermont night with every star in the sky visible.
The kids always ate first, and I guess we were celebrating someone's birthday at dinner. I must have been sitting at the other end of the dining room table (so am not in the picture).I hope to visit Stonehurst some time in the future and perhaps walk around the property to revisit old memories. .....Sally Byrnes Magin Township of Washington, NJ
Here's a picture of me in early 1950's ski gear, lace up boots, and cable bindings. Those were the days! By the way, one of those ski instructor's last name may have been "Herbert"...he taught us all how to ski, and I am still going strong at age 70! ... Sally Byrnes MaginWell, thank you so much Sally for generously sharing your wonderful memories of skiing at Pine Top. We hope you'll come up to visit us soon. I think you'll enjoy the property and all the improvements we've made while transforming it into Stonehurst (a showcase for Vermont's fine furniture and home decor).
Does anyone else out there have Pine Top memories to share? Send them along! We've got an online compilation of Pine Top stories and yours should be part of it.
This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.
