It's still a regular pit stop for local folks to grab a bite to eat, but the Parkside has a long history in Hopatcong as a community meeting-and-eating spot. Then: Located on the corner of Hopatcong Road and Chincopee Avenue in Hopatcong, Anson's store opened around 1910. Anson's later became Nan Pratt's, a Hopatcong favorite from the 1950s through the 1970s. In 1960, the Hopatcong Post Office was built next door.
Now: The Post Office moved to larger space up the street in the 1970s and the brick structure was demolished a few years thereafter. In recent years, the former Nan Pratt's evolved from a grocery store to a delicatessen/restaurant and is now the Parkside.
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.
My family used to vacation at Lake Hopatcong in the mid-50’s to the early 60’s. The house was called the “Green Shutters”, located on Hudson Avenue. I was born in ‘55 but I clearly remember Nan Pratt’s, The Cat and The Fiddle and a picnic area I knew only as “The Pavillion”. My Mom and Dad got us 1 week out of Jersey City into the country. Thanks Mom, Dad and Lake Hopatcong for a good time and GREAT MEMORIES!!!!!!!!
John Winstanley | January 16, 2015