A View From The Top Skytop

In 1928, Herbert Hoover was President; a letter cost just two cents to mail and… Skytop Lodge opened!

The nation’s post-World War I prosperity was still at its height in 1925, when the planning stages of Skytop began. John Stubbs, Frederic Smith, Earl Mayne and Sam Packer had an idea to build a grand resort in the Poconos on a high plateau three miles north of the village of Canadensis. They purchased eight tracts of land totaling 2,500 acres, and they hired a landscape architect to decide on the location of the lodge and golf course.

Visit the historic Skytop Lodge to catch artist Austin Burke’s show of over 35 paintings through the end of July. Many events, golf and dining opportunities await. H

Austin Burke is a native of the region and expresses its rich history and cultural heritage through art. Austin was in the business world for 40 years, then turned to art full time. His preferred mediums include oil and watercolor. Austin earned an Associate of Arts degree from Keystone College and a Bachelor of Arts from Dickinson College. Before turning his attention to art full time, Austin served as Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and President of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.

The Pocono Mountains and Northeastern Pennsylvania enjoy unique architecture, inspiring churches, inviting landscapes, outdoor life and joyful ethnic celebrations. Austin is a representational painter who has worked to record the pride of the populace, their creations and their celebrations through a series of paintings he produced over the past two decades. His work is shown in the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence, the office of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, the Italian Consulate in Philadelphia and private collections.

For his Skytop Lodge show, Austin has produced a dozen original oil paintings of Skytop and its surroundings. They join twenty other regional paintings at the Skytop show.