Cooperstown Valley - Part IV - A historic hotel

Along with the Maribel Caves themselves, one of the most notable and legendary features of the Cooperstown Valley is the remnant of a once-grand hotel perched on top the steep bluff. For 125 years, the Maribel Caves Hotel has drawn the eyes and curiosities of travelers and area residents alike and has been the source of many local legends. Although the structure has been ravished by recent disasters, the castle-like ruins still hold a large place in the collective local consciousness, and it is one of the area's most notable landmarks. Last week, we delved through newspaper articles, family histories and pamphlets from the hotel's heyday and also toured the property with its current owner–Dr. Mark Lyman–in an attempt to uncover the story of the famous Maribel Caves Hotel.

The tale and legacy of the Maribel Caves Hotel begins with one of Cooperstown's most prominent early families--the Steinbreckers. Charles Steinbrecker was born in 1835 in Obergrenzenbach, Germany, and received a university education there before seeking a new life in the United States in 1857 when he was 22. He eventually made his way to Cooperstown, where he boarded with the Kirscher family in their home on what is now Nachtwey Road. The Kirschers were among the earliest European settlers in the area and had established a prosperous saw mill on the banks of the West Twin River. While boarding with them, Charles Steinbrecker met his future wife, Matilda Kirscher, and the two were married in St. James Catholic Church in June of 1863.

Charles and Matilda Steinbrecker would go on to have nine children survive to adulthood and another four that died as children or as infants. Matilda died of pneumonia in February of 1884, just days after giving birth to their youngest son, and Charles would later marry his late wife's half-sister--Mary Magdeline Nachtwey. Charles would enter the sawmill business with his brother-in-law and would eventually operate lime kilns and a small quarry from his farm on Nachtwey Road. He was also a longtime organist and Choir Director for St. James Church and taught school for several years before starting his businesses. One of Charles and Matilda's sons--Francis Xavier--would go on to be the first priest ordained from St. James Church and studied at seminaries in Innsbruck and Salzburg, Austria, where he vacationed at various European spas and visited a number of historic castles. Charles died of pneumonia on November 10, 1891, at the age of 56.  In the coming years, a number of his children would attempt to bring a longtime dream of his to life--the construction and operation of a hotel and health spa like those he had known in Europe. 

Walter Steinbrecker first bought the property that would eventually host the hotel in 1894. The site was the ideal candidate for their family vision due to the presence of natural mineral springs that stream out of the bluff before flowing into the West Twin River below. The stream is fueled by a massive underwater reservoir and jets out of "Spring Cave" at 250 gallons per minute and is a crisp 42 degrees year round. The crystal-clear water is considered "mineral water" and is high in magnesium and calcium bicarbonate which led many to claim a wide range of medicinal benefits with early-hotel literature stating the elixir could help with a long list of ailments including gout, syphilis and "diseases of the kidneys". The prominence and popularity of cure-alls and miracle tonics in the early 20th century made the mineral springs a perfect site for a modern spa.

In 1900, Father Francis Xavier Steinbrecker purchased the property from his brother and recruited 30 Austrian stonemasons from his parish in Kaukauna to construct a grand hotel modeled on the castles he had seen while studying in Europe. The team of skilled workers were reportedly able to construct the stately structure using native stones with ropes, pulleys, horses and manpower in just four months. The building was assembled without any metal framework, and the masons secured the stones using cooked and ground limestone from the surrounding bluffs. The name of the hotel was allegedly taken from the Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria, with "Maribell" originally having two "l"s as demonstrated in the original sign still hanging over the ruin's entrance.

The new hotel quickly found popularity and was soon experiencing its heyday. The first floor of the structure which was partially submerged in the earth hosted the hotel's bar, dining room and kitchens. The second and third floor featured 42 rooms with the "finest accommodations" for guests. The back of the building featured a large two-story veranda which provided what the hotel advertised as "one of the most delightful views possible in a country not mountainous". The hotel also tempted nature-seeking guests with 450 acres of wilderness "devoted to quiet and pleasure" and boasted of the area's caves, rivers and curative natural springs. Guests flocked to the new resort from far and wide. Thanks to the new railway and its stop in Maribel, the site was now easily accessible to travelers from Milwaukee, Chicago and beyond, and the hotel had carriages at the station in Maribel to transport guests. At one time, the hotel was hosting as many as 200 guests a night.

Soon after building the hotel, the Steinbreckers constructed a bottling works building at the edge of the bluff directly over the source of the spring. Here, a series of machines helped employees bottle and cap the mineral water for distribution across the Midwest. The water was pumped up the bluff using a hydraulic ram which utilized the force of 80% of the fast-flowing water to create a "pressure spike" and sending the remaining 20% of the water streaming uphill without external power. The hydraulic ram provided water for the bottle works as well as the hotel with large tanks on the latter's roof giving each room hot and cold running water.

For two decades at the beginning of the 20th century, the Maribel Caves Hotel thrived with thousands upon thousands coming from near and far to experience the scenic surroundings, natural wonders and claimed health benefits. Throughout its heyday, the hotel was owned and operated by different members of the Steinbrecker family who, through hard work, determination and the help of a unique environment, were able to fulfil their late father's dream. Unfortunately, their dream was not to last, and the hotel's glory days were short lived with the next 100 years taking a heavy toll on the once-mighty structure.

Editor's Note: Next week, we will continue analyzing the historic Maribel Caves Hotel with an article focusing on its history following its height in the early 1900s.