History

The original house was built in 1853 and as far as we know was a private dwelling primarily used as a summer home. Details of this earlier period are sketchy at best. In 1930 the house was sold to Anton von Wening and in the mid ‘30s was turned into an inn - the Stony Brook Inn. Anton's daughters Constance and Helen operated the inn until the mid ‘40s. It is told that these spinster sisters slept in the attic when the inn was full. Nice and cool in the summer under that old slate roof!

In 1945 the von Wenings sold Stony Brook to Karl and Miriam Dresdner whose initials are still on the old brass doorknocker on the front door. They had two children, Hedl and Philip, who spent many summers in Shawnee. During this period there were many changes to the house. The front door, then facing Worthington Street, was replaced by a bay window across from the big old stone fireplace in the living room. The new front door replaced a small porch area and now faces River Road. The kitchen, complete with a big iron coal stove, was converted into the existing dining room. Fred Waring designed the step-downs from the front living room into the dining area.

After Karl Dresdner died, Miriam summered here until the mid ‘70s, after which Hedl, Philip, and their families used it sparingly until it was sold to Malcolm and Beverly Waring in 1983. Malcolm, the son of Fred Waring of “Pennsylvanians” fame, and Bev added some “creature comforts” including the heated swimming pool and spacious deck in the back yard.

In May 2000 we purchased the property and decided to grace Shawnee Village with a new Bed & Breakfast with an old name - Stony Brook Inn.