Through the enterprise of Mr. Whitney, who is a resident of Manchester, N.H., the beautiful and historic mountain in the town of Fishkill has become the most popular health and pleasure resort in the Hudson River Valley.
The summit at the mountain is reached by the Mt. Beacon Incline Railway, which runs to the top of the west spur of North Beacon, 1200 feet above the Hudson River. On the Eastern crest stands a monument erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution in commemoration of the burning of beacon fires during the occupation of New York by the British, to notify Washington and his officers of the movement of the enemy. The incline railway has been in successful operation since May, 1902. The Casino at the top of the mountain has spacious balconies on all sides, a roof observatory supplied with powerful telescopes and search-light. Adjoining the Casino is Beaconcrest, a modern hotel with accomodations for one hundred guests.
Fire and vandalism would plague Mount Beacon, the incline rail line and the structures on the mountain. Bopp took the final passengers, a group of hang gliders, up in February 1978. The final blow came in September 1983, one year after the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. A newspaper headline blared "Mt. Beacon Burns, Cable TV service lost through area. Flames gobbled up the rail cars, tracks, trees and brush of the dormant railway and consumed the wooden powerhouse of the cable-operated lift.