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Lenox at the turn of the century was the home of many millionaires, artists and famous authors. Wealthy families such as the Vanderbilts and the Carnegies built summer estates, which they called "cottages." Well known authors like, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edith Wharton lived in Lenox. There were more than 80 such estates in the area.
 In 1910 Harris Fahnestock, a stock broker from New York City, built a summer “cottage” for his family on 1500 acres, which he named "Eastover." He retained the architectural firm of Hoppin and Koen to design the buildings. This firm also designed the home of Edith Wharton any many estates in Newport, Rhode Island. Clifford Lumber Company, a local building firm, provided the lumber and building materials, and more than 85 local and foreign laborers constructed the estate in a little over one year. It consisted of a brick Georgian mansion, a stable, which we now call "Tally-Ho," a chauffeur’s home, an eight car garage, now the "Lodge," and a small pump house, which we refer to as the "Rebel Cottage." Well water was stored in that building in two 10,000 gallon tanks and then pumped to the various buildings. The family of five was well cared for from June to early October by sixty-five servants.
With the stock market crash in 1929 and the institution of a 2% income tax many millionaires were forced to abandon their summer homes. Mr. Fahnestock was able to maintain his cottage through these tough times. The heirs of Mr. Fahnestock sold Eastover in 1941 at auction. Later it became the Duncan School for Boys, which went bankrupt in 1944. In 1946, George Bisacca, the founder of Eastover Resort, purchased the property, which had been reduced to 500 acres for $41,500.
 The success of Eastover is due to the imagination and hard work of George. His life story is fascinating. Born in Italy, he emigrated with his family to the United States in 1906, and settled in Danbury, Connecticut. He dropped out of school in the 9th grade, preferring to work and receive his education through travel and extensive reading. He joined the Ringling Brothers Circus as a roustabout and worked his way across the country. He left the circus to thrash wheat in North Dakota. From there he rode the tops of freight trains to California, carrying what little money he had saved in his shoes. He found a job in Pasadena as a street car conductor. After three years he bought a Model A Ford, and with the $1000 he had saved he traveled back to Connecticut and opened a tire repair shop in Stamford. With hard work and ingenuity he expanded the station, added a Chrysler dealership and 22 more gas stations in the area. He also purchased ten tire recapping molds. When World War II began and it was impossible to buy new tires for vehicles, his business flourished. George’s insight had paid off.
All was going well, but George was becoming restless. With a client, Mr. Valleri of Valleri’s Trucking Company, he visited Ted Hilton’s, a recreational resort. The excitement of a resort, the interaction with all sorts of people and the challenge of trying something new convinced him that this business would be his next adventure. With his wife, Ruth, he searched and found the perfect location; Eastover. Here his vision of developing a summer, recreational resort for young singles would come to life.
It took considerable imagination and nerve to believe that this property could be transformed into a resort. It had been left without care for years. Many of the buildings were in extreme disrepair and the property was overgrown with weeds.. But George had his vision. Along with some friends, he refurbished the buildings and added the outdoor swimming pool where a formal garden had once been.
In an effort to publicize Eastover, George traveled to every major travel agent in the Northeast with a mock brochure showing pictures of people enjoying the activities that the resort would soon offer. When asked how long he had been in business, George answered that he had not yet opened. The travel agents were not interested and told him to return in two years....if he was still in business.
It was slow going for the first two summers, and he lost $75,000. But he was determined to make his dream a success. In 1953 Ashley Halsey, a friend who was an assistant editor of the "Saturday Evening Post," wrote an article entitled, "Working Girls’ Frolic." From that point on, the business prospered. Today the resort has grown to almost 1000 acres with 26 buildings, and will accommodate up to 450 guests.
George’s love of history, particularly the Civil War period, is displayed in the American Heritage Room. This museum, built in 1961 from the remains of an old textile mill in Adams, Massachusetts, contains one of the largest privately held Civil War collections in the United States. The corridor leading to the indoor pool is lined with interesting pictures and documents. Although George had been collecting these artifacts over a period of 25 years, he acquired most of them prior to the centennial celebration of the War Between the States. Artists' Rick Wilder and Bob Klinger set up the original display, and Steve and David Crowe carried out the expansion work in later years. Rick now maintains the museum and continues to add new displays.
George also brought the first buffalo to the East. For many years the United States government had listed them as an endangered species, because they had been over-killed for their hides. In 1963, George read that the government was to hold an auction to sell off part of the herd which had grown too large for the reserve. George hitched up a horse trailer and drove to Oklahoma. He brought back two buffalo. In 1965 he returned to Oklahoma, adding three more to his herd. Today, during the summer, Eastover guests enjoy safari rides into the pasture to view them more closely.
Following George’s death in 1983, the family decided that an appropriate tribute to his memory would be to move his office, which had played an important role in the lives of Eastover guests and staff, to the museum where it could continue to be appreciated. Rick recreated the office just as George had left it, right down to the last detail, including peanut shells.
Little has changed at Eastover in the past 50 years. It is still an informal recreational resort. The singles who came originally, have married, so we added special weeks and weekends for couples. The couples now have children and family vacations are very popular. The cycle continues as the children become young adults and return for our singles weekends.
A Conference Center has been established, which includes an extensive program for experiential training. Eastover Resort & Conference Center offers an extraordinary setting, fabulous service, great food and accommodation rooms. Business functions include board meetings, conferences, experiential training (high/low ropes course), parties, trade shows and weddings.
As businesses, singles, couples and family’s return year after year, they, too, have become part of the "Eastover Family."
After the death of their father, his daughters Susan McNinch and Ticki Winsor along with Susan's husband Bob McNinch, and their families picked up the reins where their dad left off. After so many years of hard work and dedication to Eastover the McNinchs decided to retire. They will be greatly missed by staff and guests alike.
In March of 2004, Eastover Resort was purchased by Ticki Winsor and her daughters Betsy Kelly of Lenox and Susie Sudnikovich of Mendham, New Jersey. It is their intention to see that the legacy of their father and grandfather continues for generations to come. As Eastover Resort celebrates its' 57th Anniversary this year, and 57th consecutive year owned by the original founding family we can all breathe easy and say "Hey George, Thanks for the memories."
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