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It all began with August & Corra Hollath,
cheese makers by trade. They dreamed of owning property in the
Twin Bridge area and heard of a forty acre parcel for sale, but
could not afford the $240.00 to purchase the property. IN 1939,
Felix DeAdolph, a friend of the family and music teacher to the
children, came to their home and threw a dirt covered sack of
coins on the floor and said, "Here, go buy the property."
August bought the parcel and, with one
horse and some sawmill equipment, he cut trees and planed the
wood to build a wooden windmill to generate electricity for water.
After retiring from the cheese factory, he bought some Army Barracks
from Georgia to build two cabins . . . one for their home, the
other for the bar, which they called Kollath's Resort.
August and Corra ran the resort in the
summer months through November, until his death in 1951. Corra
continued to run the resort with help from their son, Wally,
and his wife, Della. Two years later, Wally accepted a job in
Milwaukee and they moved.
At this point, Corra's daughter, Lorraine,
and her family, including her husband, Henry Kralovetz and their
three youngest children moved north to help Corra run the resort.
The forest fire of 1953 threatened the
Resort. Battling the flames that came within 5 feet of the building,
they successfully contained the fire and saved their Resort.
In 1954, their friend Felix DeAdolph built a large ball covered
with mirrors and colored glass, and this became a landmark for
the Resort until it was destroyed by vandald in 1994. Other improvements
included indoor plumbing, extended living quarters and a bar
area, where Lorraine, a musician by trady, provided live entertainment
nightly.
Upon Corra's death in 1960, Lorraine and
Henry Kralovetz, with the help of a close friend, Mr. Atkinson,
purchased the property and renamed it Hilltop Resort. In 1972,
they sold the resort to their son Jim and his wife Joan. Henry
and Lorraine continued to live there until Lorraine's death in
1975. Henry passed away in a nursing home in 1978.
Jim and Joan Kralovetz and their family
enlarged the resort by adding a Supper Club, motel units and
a mobile home park. They also started karaoke, which is still
going strong today!
In 1996, Jim and Joan sold the Resort and
Supper Club to their son, Keith, who continues to run the Resort.
The bar has changed slightly, reflecting a sports bar theme.
The rest remains unchanged. The Mobile Home Park continues to
be run by Jim and Joan. |