Rock Lodge Club

Rock Lodge pond swimming lake

Rock Lodge Club is a nudist club located on 145 acres

(0.59 km2 ) of privately owned land in the New Jersey
Highlands of Northern New Jersey, about 40 miles (64
km) from Manhattan, New York.[1][2] Rock Lodge Club
were as Sky Farm founded in 1932 as the rst permanent
nudist communities in the United States, and both clubs
are active today.[3]

History

Rock Lodge Stone House circa 1938

The eponymous Rock Lodge Stone House was built as a

model reproof farm house by engineer A. L. A. Himmelwright in 1907,[4] and presently used as a residence
and overnight rental facility at Rock Lodge Club. In the
late nineteenth century, A. L. A. Himmelwright, an engineer at the Roebling Construction Company, bought
the land that today is used by Rock Lodge nudist club.
Prior to this, the property, located in the Stockholm area
of Hardyston Township, New Jersey in the New Jersey
Highlands, was used for timber and agriculture. There is
also evidence of iron prospecting, possibly connected to
a Thomas Edison mine works located nearby.
In 19041905, Himmelwright used oxen to dredge a
swamp, and built a dam to create a lake fed by a stream
located near the lake, as well as by 17 underwater springs.
This main spring is mentioned in deeds and early leases
as a water supply for surrounding neighbors as well as for
Rock Lodge.

This newspaper ad probably ran in the 1940s during World War

II given its reference to saving gasoline and rubber tires, and
touting Rock Lodge Clubs proximity to New York City. In the ad,
AGA stands for the American Gymnosophical Association, the
group promoting social nudism at the time.

In 1907, Himmelwright erected a model reproof farmhouse, now known as the Stone House, which features a
poured concrete roof, stained glass, a basement with coal
furnace, and a state-of-the-art (in its day) water supply
system which pumped water from the spring to a holding

tank on the third oor. In 2007, to celebrate the 100th

year anniversary of the Stone House, the original plans
for the construction of the building were reproduced.
Other early buildings that are still standing and in use to1

EXTERNAL LINKS

day included a stable (now known as the Hacienda that Coordinates: 410422N 743201W / 41.07287N
houses the Clubs oce), an ice house, where, prior to 74.53361W
the availability of refrigeration, ice harvested from the
lake in the winter was stored for use through the summer.
Around 1919, Himmelwright built a bungalow (clubhouse), when the property was being used as a training
camp for boxersduring the Roaring Twenties the property was a training camp for Jack Dempsey and other boxers. Amenities for the boxers included an indoor handball
court and coal heat, with a replace and living room.
During the Great Depression, Herman Shoshinsky leased
the property as the proprietor of the American Gymnosophical Association, and nudism came to Rock Lodge.
In 1938 or 1939, the property was bought by Francis E. DePaolo, a chiropractor who lived across Rock
Lodge Road near the spring. In 1942, Dr. DePaolo and
Shoshinsky had a falling out, and the A.G.A. moved to
Newfoundland, New Jersey. Rock Lodge as a cooperative nudist club began that year with a one year lease. In
1946, a 10-year lease was negotiated with DePaolo, and
summer cabins began to appear, though some may have
been built in the 1930s. In 1957, a 40-year lease was
signed, and a building boom occurred. Along with summer cabins, much of the club infrastructure was built in
the late 1950s and 1960s.
By the late 1980s, the end of a 40-year lease was in the
near future, and several attempts were made to organize
a purchase by members. In 1990, Rock Properties Inc.
was formed as a non-prot organization, and money was
raised by members for the purchase of 35 acres (140,000
m2 ). Another land purchase was made in 1995, bringing
the total present club to 145 acres (0.59 km2 ).
Rock Lodge Club is a member of the American Association for Nude Recreation.

References

[1] Nudists Aim For World Record For Skinny-Dipping.

[2] HuPost Live.
[3] Craig J. Forsyth; Heith Copes (11 February 2014).
Encyclopedia of Social Deviance. SAGE Publications. pp.
472. ISBN 978-1-4833-4046-3.
[4] Peter Kuhlmann (2007). Rock Lodge Club Stone House
Centennial, 2007: The Building of the Stone House, 1907.

External links
Ocial website
Young Naturists review of a visit to Rock Lodge
Club
NaturistMusings Blog review of Rock Lodge Club

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

4.1

Text

Rock Lodge Club Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Lodge_Club?oldid=638439406 Contributors: Pfrishauf, Mwanner, Longhair, Alansohn, Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ), SmackBot, SaxTeacher, Hmains, Chris the speller, Bluebot, GoodDay, Dorothy Coleman,
CmdrObot, Bloodbeard, Jllm06, The Anomebot2, Himanshu.manisha, Guest9999, Lightmouse, Fratrep, Canadian Naturist, Solar-Wind,
XLinkBot, Lightbot, Yoavd, Yobot, AnomieBOT, DSisyphBot, Xenagogue, DrilBot, Lotje, Sam Sailor, Sdurante5 and Anonymous: 8

4.2

Images

File:AGA_Rock_Lodge_Newspaper_Ad_1940s.jpeg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/AGA_Rock_

Lodge_Newspaper_Ad_1940s.jpeg License: Public domain Contributors: Rock Lodge Library, Rock Lodge Club, Stockholm, NJ Original
artist: Unknown
File:Rock_Lodge_Stone_House_circa_1938.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Rock_Lodge_Stone_
House_circa_1938.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Rock Lodge Library, Rock Lodge Club, Stockholm, NJ Original artist: Unknown
File:Sailboat.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Sailboat.jpg License: CC BY 3.0 Contributors: Own
work Original artist: Pfrishauf

4.3

Content license

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