Herbert Paulson was looking out over the mountain near his gas station and small hotel, when he had a thought. The fog that was hovering around reminded him of an ocean. Always the entrepreneur, his mind sprang together a crazy idea.In 1932 Mr. Paulson opened up the S.S. Grandview Point Hotel. Making the hotel and restaurant look like a ship, the place soon became an immediate hit. Hollywood stars and starlets spent the night in this hotel. Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Tom Mix, and even Thomas Edison to name a few.
The hotel flourished until the 1940's when the Pennsylvania turnpike put a damper on things. With the new more convenient route most tourists by passed the giant ship on the mountain. The Grandview Point hotel suffered through hard times until 1978 when the Loya family bought the property. The Loya family went for a religious theme and transformed the ship into a Noah's ark. Their venture proved unsuccessful and the place eventually closed. The hotel eventually met the wrath of arson's and was burned in October of 2001.
The spot where the ship hotel was located is still a fairly popular tourist spot, and was long before the hotel ever opened. The fact that you're 2,464 feet above sea level, and can see 7 counties and 3 states doesn't hurt matters.
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