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Circa 1950's Honeymoon Haven entrance with heart-shaped signs and a honeymooning couple

PEEC’s History

Author: jmorley

Honeymoon Haven to PEEC

Read about the history of PEEC in an excerpt from:


Before It was PEEC

One couple’s experience at Honeymoon Haven, the rustic resort that once occupied PEEC’s campus.

By Don and Barb Killmeyer, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fun activities and even a plane ride were included for the “exorbitant” sum of $125.

We’re sure all honeymoons are special, but we feel we made a great choice 53 years ago when we chose to spend a week at Honeymoon Haven in the Viking Heights area of Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania.

The early-November weather of 1954 was cold and snowy when we set out from Pittsburgh for the Pocono Mountains around 4:30 p.m., having enjoyed an afternoon wedding reception. Getting to Viking Heights was an adventure in itself.

Darkness settled in, and we occasionally saw a spark flashing under the dashboard of our six-cylinder 1948 Nash. At one point, we discovered that if we stopped the car, the motor would die, and it was reluctant to start again. So, we had to keep the car moving.

This was sometime around midnight, and all auto-repair garages were closed. We found out later that one spark plug was fouled, something we took care of with a “hot plug” on the way home.

In addition, the heater in the Nash was broken, so we were freezing when we finally drove into Honeymoon Haven around 3 a.m. It was at the top of a steep hill, and with the Nash’s motor missing one plug, it took us three tries to make it up. For the rest of our stay, the manager called us Mr. and Mrs. Paul Revere for having woken him up in the middle of the night.

The resort catered to honeymooners only, and the staff did their best to provide a memorable week for all of us. Most of the people were from New York and New Jersey, so hearing the East Coast accents was real different for Barb, who was only 19 and hadn’t traveled much.

We were teased about the song Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, sung by Guy Mitchell, since it starts out, “There’s a pawnshop on a corner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,” and another line of the song says, “She was peaches, she was honey, and she cost me all my money.”

We kept in touch with two of the couples staying there, but that eventually fell away.

The people who ran the resort were great. A silver-haired gentleman drove us on scenic tours in the resort bus. One was to a mountain from which you could see three states.

Other activities included horseback riding, a square dance, bowling and movies in the Rumpus Room. After the bowling one night, we were taken for pizza and beer—both a first for Barb.

In warmer weather, there were also rifle-shooting matches, a hayride and a softball game against a nearby resort.

We were even treated to a 15-minute flight in a Piper Cub airplane over the Delaware Gap and the estate of famous bandleader Fred Waring. That was thrilling for Barb, a first-time flier; Don had been on planes in the service.

For all of this, a week’s stay in our Kozy Kabin and three delicious meals served daily, we paid the grand sum of $125…and we wondered at the time if we’d be able to afford that.

Even now, we get a little nostalgic when we hear the song That’s Amore sung by Dean Martin. It was popular at the time and was played on the dining room loudspeaker over and over again. It always reminds us of our wonderful stay at Honeymoon Haven.

Two name badge buttons with red hears that read "Honeymoon Haven, Dingmans Ferry, PA. The names on the badges are Karen and Paul

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