Spruced Up near Spruceton- Legendary Lair Revived!

On a recent drive down to Westkill we were happy to see this stately old boardinghouse with deep literary roots revived once again with a new front porch & fresh coat of paint. The legendary location was once home to Art Flick a superb fly fisherman and an ardent conservationist, Mr. Flick was probably best known for his ''Streamside Guide,'' which was first published in 1947. That tiny book is a warm, witty, direct and authoritative guide that cuts through much of the mystery surrounding the art of catching trout on a fly. In later years another chronicler of Catskillian pursuits Paul Smart made his home here. Smart, noted newspaperman and author of the 1994 book, Rock & Woodstock hosted many a fine dinner party here during his tenure in the late 1980's and through the '90's. Tragedy & freaky catastrophe happened upon the houses historic walls on a dark and icy night a few years back

 when a dumptruck lost it's brakes and crashed through the front of the house only to be followed by a second truck coming down the same hill taking out the garage. The house then sat boarded up for several seasons until now when it's been spruced up once again.