I don't think that I've ever found an abandoned location close enough to me that was accessible only by boat. And it's unlikely that I will find such a place again any time soon.
St. Hubert's Chapel is this place, almost forgotten.
When I had first seen images of the chapel, I thought that it was a pretty enough property. When I learned that it was in the middle of a lake, I may have leaned forward in my chair. Thoughts immediately circulated, how far away from it was I, what was security like, could I reach the island with a pair of fisherman's waders, and plenty of other nonsensical things. I let the manic excitement simmer for a bit and did some more digging.
I'll allow others to give a more detailed history in the "further reading" links below, but what I know was that it was built in the late 1800s by a rich tobacco weirdo (said affectionately) as a gift for his wife. I got the sense that she was tired of having to be amongst the "common man" while attending religious services in town, and her husband planned accordingly. But she wasn't too thrilled with the property as time went on. It was, frankly, a pain in the ass to get to every weekend. It was cold in the winter and hot in the summer and did not feature any modern comforts. Let alone electricity or running water.
After she had passed, it was still used occasionally by members of her community. It had been consecrated when originally used as a chapel, but at some point, it had lost that holy status (which amuses me to no end). It sat and became derelict until a local boy sought to restore it in his youth, possibly as a boy scout project or a part of a community service project.
When I was on the island, hearing a volunteer recount this story, he surprised us by pointing out a man in the back of our small group of visitors: the young man, now in his sixties, who had started this whole restoration so many years ago, just standing among us!
By I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to my initial discovery.
Realizing that there was no way to reach it on my own, as it's tucked away in an affluent gated community named Smoke Rise in North Jersey, I looked up more articles and learned that it was possible to visit with permission. There was a non-profit organization dedicated to its upkeep and restoration. I would learn that they were the ones who organized these tours. But at the time, it was still just getting off the ground. Before there was any sort of online ticketing/reservation system in place, I had to cold call a contact that I tracked down for said organization.
The kind (if disappointing) response informed me that they'd have to get back to me when more concrete plans had come to be. It sounded like it was literally a twice a year (if that) opportunity. I thanked them for their time and said I looked forward to such an update. About four months later, I got an email, featuring a link to a new reservation portal and calendar days that accessibility by boat was open to visitors. I immediately leapt at the opportunity.
The man who started this decades ago now has a team of volunteers who share his vision and love for the chapel. They took us out in a boat (literally a five-minute ride) and told us all kinds of stories and the history of the island and the surrounding community.
The chapel is named after St. Hubert, defender of wildlife and hunting. Apparently, the original owner and creator was an avid hunter and outdoorsmen, so that was appropriate, a fitting dedication. Inside, there is beautiful art depicting the Saint and other religious imagery, all restored thanks to the volunteer organization's efforts. The stained glass is amazing, one of the first religious pieces commissioned by the Tiffany Company. The windows (as well as a handful of other items now on display in the chapel) were subject to vandalism and disrepair during the 1900s, but you wouldn't know that, looking at them today. One miniature statue, allegedly, had been tossed in the water decades ago but had more-recently been recovered by a diving team. A visitor had apparently dropped a priceless piece of jewelry into the water. I'm not sure if they ever found that heirloom, but hey, they found a sweet statue at least.
The chapel is still open to special occasions, such as weddings, baptisms, and other events. It's non-denominational, too, due to it losing its consecrated status with the church. Again, infinitely amusing to me. Note: they told us that if you were to have an event, you can probably max out at around thirty guests, due to the size of the island. If you're having a wedding, curate your guest list carefully, I suppose... but at least you have an excuse to not invite "that side" of the family...
St. Hubert's Chapel is by far one of the most unique places I've visited in these adventures. I'd love to go back and see what the organization has managed to do and will continue to work on in the future.
There's a lot of love there and that's what always stays with me in these travels.
Further reading:
St. Hubert's Chapel -- a hidden gem of Kinnelon
Hidden on an island, the medieval-style St. Hubert’s Chapel is a glistening historic treasure
