What today is a regular stop on the Lake Hopatcong restaurant circuit has a long, varied history in the River Styx section of the lake. Then: The Pagoda featured a lunch counter and soda fountain. Gas pumps were later added on the lake for boats and on River Styx Road for cars. The Pagoda also offered bungalows, boats, and canoes for rent.
Now: An enlarged dining room was added to the Pagoda's left side in the late 1960s. Further expansion soon connected the building with the old West Side United Methodist Church building. The most recent renovation saw the remaining portion of the Pagoda's curved roof on the right side of the building encapsulated under the new straight roof line.
These and dozens of other "Then and Now" images and stories are available in an updated version of Lake Hopatcong: Then and Now by Marty Kane, president of the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum. Purchase that and other lake-related history books here on the museum's website. And see hundreds of photos and other historical paraphernalia at the museum, which is located in Hopatcong State Park.
