For generations, the Lake Naomi Clubhouse has stood as the heart and soul of community life in Pocono Pines, a beloved gathering place that has evolved alongside the families who call this mountain retreat their home away from home. More than just a building, the Clubhouse has served as a timeless symbol of connection, recreation, and tradition. From its scenic lakefront views and spirited holiday celebrations to its lively dances, youth activities, and cherished summer memories, the Clubhouse has become an integral part of Lake Naomi’s fabric. It is where neighbors become lifelong friends, where stories are passed down, and where the spirit of community continues to thrive, decade after decade.
This story is part of a series I’ve been researching, as I rebuild my youthful memories growing up on Lake Naomi in the Poconos. As the series comes together, there is an associated Facebook Group, called Lake Naomi Memories, for anyone to share their memories that help create a digital history footprint on the web. Oh, and they’ll certainly help me remember as well.
Start your experience with a live look at the Club Beach at Lake Naomi – Livecam Click Here
Looking Back at the History of the Lake Naomi Clubhouse with Photos
The Lake Naomi Club and the Sailing Association
Soon after the Lake Naomi Club’s creation in 1963, the Lake Naomi Sailing Association (LNSA) was established to promote sailing as a central recreational activity. From the outset, the association emphasized family involvement, offering a range of programs for all ages. The association hosted regular weekend races and regattas, initially featuring small fleets of Dusters, then Sunfish, and later expanding to other classes, highlighting both competitive and fun, community-focused sailing.
1971 – Lake Naomi Gets a New Clubhouse
Please offer them a stunning view of Lake Naomi and the clubhouse beach, an upscale dining experience, and the Windjammer Bar and Wheelhouse Cocktail Lounge, along with an adjoining ballroom. You’ve got the makings of a great summer experience for both residents and renters with membership status. Down by the beach access, a youth center and snack bar would be great.
Architecturally reimagined and reborn in every decorative detail, the newly unveiled Lake Naomi Clubhouse graced the shoreline with refined elegance, its grand façade embracing a broad stretch of sandy beach and offering sweeping, uninterrupted vistas across the shimmering lake.
Within its walls, a tasteful harmony of luxury, creativity, and refinement awaited. The upper level boasted a stately array of social spaces, a nautical-themed “Windjammer” Bar, the refined “Wheelhouse” Cocktail Lounge, a gracious ballroom, an intimate private dining salon, and the crowning jewel: a magnificent glass-walled main dining room overlooking the tranquil waters of Lake Naomi. Below, the lower level opens directly to the beach and houses a bustling youth center, a casual snack bar, and well-appointed locker rooms.
From the earliest hours of daylight, the community’s youth would gather with joyful energy, claiming the clubhouse beach and youth center as their own. By afternoon, parents and neighbors drift in, some for a leisurely swim, others to lounge on the sun terrace or partake in genial conversation over a cocktail. The atmosphere was one of effortless camaraderie, and the cuisine, by all accounts, was superb. Come evening, the gentle strains of live organ music provided a fitting soundtrack to dinners and twilight gatherings. On weekends, the clubhouse came alive with a full calendar of dances and festive events, orchestrated by the program committee and enthusiastically embraced by members and their guests alike.
Today
Just letting you know I haven’t been, but would love to hear what visitors think. Is it just for members, or can anyone walk into the restaurant? Looks beautiful.
And now you know!
Live Webcam
Check out the Lake from the Lake Naomi Clubhouse – Click the image.
About The Author
I decided to write these stories because a friend of mine, with whom I grew up, now lives on Lake Naomi and still sends me photos of the Lake Naomi Club trophy case, where my name, along with my father’s and brothers’, lives on (Thanks, Sue). Thank you for allowing me to document this life experience for the record.
Brooks founded Mr. Local History and the Mr. Local History Project along with his wife, Jill. Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and raised in Westfield, Brooks graduated from Westfield High School in 1980 and later from Bryant University. For over two decades, Brooks, along with his brother Brian and younger sister Cee Cee, spent their summers on Lake Naomi with their parents, Frank and Caryolyn Betz, who had lived on Canoe Brook Road since the mid-1960s.
He and his family owned the Pocono Boathouse (Pocono Pines, PA) and the Cranford Canoe Club in the 1960s through the 1990s.
There are likely many gaps in the history that I hope to fill, along with a return visit to Lake Naomi to reminisce and reflect on these stories. This story is part of a series dedicated to the history of Lake Naomi, Pocono Pines, and the memories of my family spending time together. Thanks for reading.
Logan Steele Bio
Logan Boone Steele was born on April 9, 1929, in Summit, New Jersey. He was the son of Robert H. & Bernice “Bernie” Steele. Logan was the maiden name of his grandmother, Eliza Jane Logan. (Bernice’s mom.) Logan had a sister, Phyllis Ann Steel, who was born after Logan on March 10, 1931. She would later marry Fred Beyer, Jr. Phylis was a Sophomore at Summit High School in 1946 but couldn’t locate a senior photo.
Did find that Logan’s home was on Canoe Brook Parkway (guess that’s where Canoe Brook Road (Canoe Brook Country Club) came from that my parents bought on Lake Naomi.)
By 1940, the Steele parents were still residing in Summit, New Jersey.
Logan’s Senior Year of High School: ~1946–1947 (Verify Summit High School) – no records in 1945-1950 Summit HS yearbooks
Logan’s Likely College Years (if attended): ~1947–1951 (1949-1951 living in Princeton- Princeton University?)
Logan served in the United States Navy, enlisting on July 1, 1951 (23), during the Korean War era, and was honorably discharged on June 13, 1953. After his military service, he pursued a career in civil engineering and planning, eventually becoming known for his pivotal role in the development of Lake Naomi in the Pocono Mountains during the early 1960s. By May 25, 1967, records show him residing in Warren Township, New Jersey, though he was also associated with Summit, NJ, during the same period.
(Trying to confirm marriage)
Logan married Lee Engelking in Sarasota, Florida, in January 1958, when he was 28 years old; however, it doesn’t appear that they had any children. His legacy remains most visible in the transformation of Lake Naomi from a seasonal retreat into a hugely successful planned residential and recreational community in Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania that he coined “Lake Naomi”, named initially by Franklin Comfort Miller, one of the founders of the Pocono Spring Water Ice Company and the individual behind the damming of Tunkhannock Creek in 1895, as a tribute to his daughter Naomi.
Many didn’t know that Steele also planned to open another Pocono development known as the Lost Lakes Area, which would have included ski terrain and second-home sites. Although slopes were cleared in anticipation of Steele’s project, it never opened, and the property was ultimately transferred to state control, becoming Pennsylvania State Game Lands 318, with help from The Nature Conservancy. Mr. Steele dropped development of the Lost Lakes Area in favor of what became Timber Trails. The ski area never operated. There was never a lift.
Logan passed away on September 14, 1986, in Fort Lauderdale (Broward County), Florida, at just 57 years old. Still searching for an official obituary.
Honoring the History of the Lake Naomi / Pocono Pines Region
