our story

The DeBruce has the fortune of being nestled in one of the great sleepy river valleys in the United States.  She sits on a ledge overlooking the Willowemoc Valley and its namesake river here in the Catskill Park.   There is a mood to the “Willow” that is perhaps caused directly by the topography.  The mountains shoulder in on the river itself and the river bends at angles that can prevent you from seeing much beyond the moment in front of you.  There is a sense of solitude and isolation that wonderfully creeps in.   It is a place where you can at one instance be surrounded by the warmth of friendship and in the next find deep rooted, self indulgent, intimacy.

In the case of the Willowemoc, we also have a history and legacy to honor and protect.  Just upstream from the Lodge, George LaBranche cast the first American dry fly where the Mongaup Creek joins the Willowemoc.  For over 125 years many have come to the valley to cast a line with great hope and patience.  

In the heyday of the Silver (1900-1945) and Golden (1945-1965) Ages of the Catskills when the region was one of the most famous vacation destinations in the country, there were as many as 20 hotels and boarding houses located in the Willowemoc Valley.  Now there is but one, The DeBruce. 

One of the last remaining hotels to stand the test of time, the building has been known by several names during her 100+ years.  The Maple, St, Brendan’s, The Willowemoc, the Ararat and most recently for over 30 years as the DeBruce Country Inn. 

Typical of her origins from the 1880s she has strong bones and straightforward appeal and decades of comfort soaked into her walls.  Over this time the hotel has developed into what it wanted to be with many of the attractions of a right sized getaway. 

The DeBruce is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Sims Foster and Kirsten Harlow Foster and their team.