Cooperstown Valley - Part V - The famous Maribel Caves Hotel

For over two decades from 1900 until the mid-1920s, the Maribel Caves Hotel flourished as a vacation and wellness destination with patrons traveling from near and far to experience the grand structure, the scenic landscape and the famed mineral spring water for themselves. Unfortunately, the glory days were not to last, and the next hundred years were not kind to the historic building. For the fifth part in our Cooperstown Valley Series, we have turned our attention to the decline, destruction and preservation of the Maribel Caves Hotel.

Throughout its heyday, the Maribel Caves Hotel was owned and operated by a multi-generational assortment of the Steinbrecker family headed by Father Francis Xavier Steinbrecker who commissioned the building of the hotel in 1900. In the later years of the Steinbreckers’ tenure, Father Francis hosted retreats for fellow priests on the third floor with the rounded "turret room" serving as a chapel.

Father Francis Xavier Steinbrecker died in 1927, and the family ceased their operation of the hotel and bottle works. For five years, it was leased by his stepmother to less savory operators who sometimes capitalized on the criminal enterprises of the late 1920s. In a 1988 letter to the Wisconsin State Historical Society, Bob Lyman, Sr., said this is when, "The hotel experienced a radical change in clientele which included moonshiners, prostitutes and reportedly John Dillinger and Al Capone."

In 1932, in the height of the Great Depression, the hotel and mineral spring bottling plant were sold at a sheriff's auction to Paul Rhode and F.J. Sensenbrenner. They would eventually sell the property to local construction company owner Adolph Cherney who stored equipment in the former bottle works. His wife and children reopened the bar and restaurant in the lowest level and converted the second floor to their living quarters. For a number of years, the spring water was still used by a local bottler with Sunbow from nearby Maribel carting the water by truck until the early 1960s. When Cherney Maribel Caves County Park was formed from land purchased from Adolph, the historic hotel and bottle works building and surrounding land was also offered, but the county was not interested in their upkeep nor their liability concerns.

Prior to Adolph Cherney's passing, the property was divided into two parcels and given to his daughters with Alice Cherney-Kornely receiving the hotel and Elizabeth Cherney-Ruzek receiving the former bottle works. Alice continued to operate the bar at the hotel until 1972 when she sold the parcel to Stanley Jerabek who would introduce Friday Night Fish Boils which drew diners from near and far. In 1976, the property was purchased by Richard Wagner who happened to be a great-grandson of Charles Steinbrecker, who had originally inspired the idea for the hotel. Wagner would construct a large fence around the property, institute a wristband system and host rock concerts throughout his short tenure that often drew the ire of locals. Many will still tell tales of the wild and debaucherous times during the "concerts at the caves". In 1981, the hotel was sold again, this time to Jeff Miller who operated a business similar to Wagner's.

In the early hours of Tuesday, June 4, 1985, a motorist driving by the hotel noticed flames coming from the building. Fire departments from throughout the area came to fight the fast-spreading blaze, and then-Maribel Fire Chief Eugene Rabas quickly called in arson investigators. When the smoke cleared, what was left was just a shell of the grand hotel that had once been with the massive two-and-a-half foot stone outer walls standing as a hulking reminder of the quality of their construction. While many suspected arson, no charges were ultimately filed. At this time, the Town of Cooperstown began to discuss tearing the damaged structure down.

Enter the Lyman family and their passion for local history. In March 1986, Bob Lyman, Sr., and his wife, Doris, purchased the hotel to, as he stated in an August 27, 2000, issue of the Herald Times Reporter, "Save and restore it." The Lymans were also able to purchase the former bottle works parcel from the Ruzek family, which was then being used to store construction equipment. The Lymans had dreams of restoring the legendary structures, particularly the former bottle works building. "My dad was very into local history…he bought it for that sake…to preserve it," says Dr. Mark Lyman, Bob, Sr.'s, son, who now owns and maintains the property. The Lymans attempted to restore the bottle works, but the new roof was soon torn off by wind, and vandals caused further damage as time went on. Dr. Mark told us, at one point, Nestle Foods visited the property to analyze the spring water which he says they called a "premium product" that was "very similar to Perrier". Unfortunately, the naturally-sparkling, magnesium-rich spring water was not what Nestle was looking for at the time.

On August 7, 2013, just over a year after the passing of Bob Lyman, Sr., and on Dr. Mark and his wife, Young Oak's, wedding anniversary, a powerful storm tore through the area with 111 mile per hour winds devastating what remained of the hotel. After 113 years of standing over the Cooperstown Valley, the once-mighty hotel was left looking like an aged ruin with only the southern wall and the adjacent turret left intact.

Dr. Mark and Young Oak were kind enough to invite us into their home on the banks of the Devils River just up the road from the hotel property to discuss its history and share some of the artifacts they have collected from its glory days. Dr. Mark also took us on an extensive tour of the property and surrounding area, giving us an up-close look at the building's remnants as well as a glimpse into the Spring Cave which he says "is the source of it all". He explains he cuts the massive sprawling lawn around the buildings himself which takes three-and-a-half hours each time. 

When we asked Dr. Mark why he continues with all the work involved with the property, he states, "I just want to see it preserved. It's a real significant part of our local history," and adds, "Once it's gone *snap* people forget it." Lyman says any hope to restore the legendary buildings would cost millions of dollars, but he still would like to see the bottle works running again. Through talking with Dr. Mark, it is plain to see the passion, respect and care he has for the historic property and the once-magnificent buildings found there. Although the structures have been reduced to only a shadow of what they once were, they still hold a significant place in our area's history and continue to weigh heavily on the local imagination.

Editor's Note: Next week, we will turn our attention to the history and present of Richard Drum Memorial Forest which is adjacent to the county park's southern border.