ABOUT THE INN
The historic Victorian DeBary Inn in Summit NJ has a fascinating past filled with romance, Mumm’s champagne, a baron, hotel hospitality and a Florida town (called DeBary).
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Adolphe DeBary |
Romantic beginnings. Our
history starts when a wealthy 27 year old bachelor from New
York City (Adolphe DeBary) met a young woman from Summit (Augusta
Cecil) and fell in love. Married in 1871, they first began life
together in Adolphe’s NYC home. After having three children
they built a grand estate – now the DeBary Inn –
and moved to Summit in 1880. Adolphe then became one of Summit’s
early commuters to NYC.
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The original estate. The estate the DeBary’s
built was described by a local paper as “one of the largest
showplaces in Summit”, known for “its size, beauty,
and elaborateness”. The original estate was some 3 ½
acres and filled the lower part of the block we are on. The estate
included a bowling alley housed in a separate building, extensive
gardens, and stables for six horses. When first built the house
had one tin lined tub for the family and the water was hand pumped
from a cistern and then stored in a reservoir on the third floor.
You can see a map of the original estate hanging in our library.
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The DeBary home in
Summit in the late 1890’s. |
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An 1882 deBary Mumm's label |
Mumm’s champagne & the DeBary’s.
Adolphe’s father, Frederick DeBary (a baron by birth), was
friends of the Mumm’s family in Rheims France, one of the
finest wine-producing areas of the world. In 1840, at the young
age of 25, Baron DeBary sailed to America at the behest of the
Mumm’s to be their American agent. The man and the timing
were right. His firm became the largest wine importer in America.
After a distinguished career the Baron turned over the wine import
business to his son Adolphe in whose hands the business continued
to prosper. The Baron spent his last years at the Debary household
here in Summit where he was greatly beloved. |
Transition. In 1906 the DeBary family
moved to a nearby town and eventually the estate was sold in 1916 to
a development company. The DeBary estate was subdivided into building
lots. A new road (called DeBary Place) was built through the estate
for access to the lots. The “old DeBary house” – as
it was referred to in a 1916 newspaper article – was eventually
moved in the early 1920’s about 200 feet to its present location.
Hospitality service begins. In 1923 the
DeBary’s former home began offering lodging and was originally
called “The Hobart Hotel”. Lodging has been provided since then.
In 1941 The Hobart was renamed “The DeBary” to honor the
original family. In 1959 it became “The DeBary Guest House”
and finally “The DeBary Inn” in 2006. In addition, up until
1977 the DeBary offered dining to the general public.
The town of DeBary, Florida. The town of DeBary
in Florida owes its name to the same DeBary family. In 1871
Baron DeBary built a Florida winter hunting retreat –
called DeBary Hall – where he typically had an entourage
of a dozen or more family and friends. Guests included such
luminaries as U.S. Presidents (Grant & Cleveland), the Prince
of Wales, and General Sherman. In 1948 the DeBary estate –
then down to 6,500 acres – was sold to developers. Note:
The 1871 DeBary mansion today serves as a visitor’s center
and museum for the region.
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DeBary Hall in Florida in
the late 1870’s |
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