Leiber's Mansion a wonderous adventure

Your site on the resorts is fascinating. One minor point. Leiber's (Leiber's Mansion) was actually on Town Street about half a mile toward Hadlyme from where it crosses Valley Brook, or about a mile and a half from Wolf's Den.

My parents bought the house, outbuilldings and 11 acres from Joseph Leiber, the family patriarch and former owner operator of Leiber's Mansion in 1969. We lived there for about 6 years. The rest of the land, approximately 100 acres, was sold years later by Misha, Mr. Leiber's eldest son and has since been subdivided and homes built upon.

The original house and barn had been a farm before the Leibers acquired it. The barn had a stage and jukebox which we found fascinating as children. We had fun with plays and concerts there. The outbuildings were fascinating also. We found many minor treasures left by former guests which had been left there for many years between its days as a resort and our tenure.

The subsequent owners of the property have made it into what appears to be a lovely home. While we lived there we used a wood stove in the kitchen to attempt to heat the 19 rooms of the house. After the first winter we would close up all but about 8 for the winter. We often went to bed in snowmobile suits and I was usually the one who managed to get the dog for warmth.

Despite the minor hardship, it was a wonderful, adventurous place to grow up in.

--Ray Durant, Gloucester, VA