I was asked not too long ago to provide a bit of history about the Fieldstone Lodge. Many of you probably know it today as the Iron Chef, or maybe even remember it as the Old Eagle Inn. For this article I’ll be focused on the Fieldstone Lodge.

The Fieldstone Lodge dates back to the 1940’s. In the beginning it was under the management of Charles Morris and Charles Patterson. Judging by the newspaper ads, the prices were fair and offered a delightful selection to choose from. I’ve been told Charles Patterson is the grandfather of the famous author, James Patterson, another Newburgh native. I found a number of articles and ads, but have only included two, one from the September 3rd and the other from the November 17th, 1949, editions of the Newburgh News.

The Fieldstone Lodge offered banquet and reception dinners. Many businesses dined there, including the Lion’s Club. One needs to reflect on how the area looked seventy-five years ago. The urban sprawl had not yet crept up around it. The small stream on the east side added to the ambience and if you were inclined, offered some good “brookies”. I know, I fished it.

In 1953, Dominick “Duke” Sylvester became the new proprietor. What is interesting is my family frequented this establishment for years and I still remember Duke. He was a great guy. I was not yet ten but was always up for his spaghetti and meatballs or pizza.

It’s interesting to note prior to the Fieldstone Lodge, Duke had Duke’s Grill at 132 William Street. He brought years of experience with him. I found a newspaper ad from the August 25th, 1934, edition of the Newburgh News where ten cent meatballs and dining and dancing were offered which I couldn’t resist including. Maybe some of you recall Josh White’s blues song “One Meatball”, a favorite of a best friend.

In 1960, Edward Wiest took over, announcing it in the March 2nd, 1960, edition of the Newburgh-Beacon News. He hosted many events in our community, both social and business.

I’m going to hold back on going into the subsequent venues but will cover them in the future.

In 1964, three of my friends, Larry “Mace” Mason, Ralph Heotzler, myself, and Ed Miller joined the rock ‘n roll music craze and premiered our group at the Fieldstone Lodge. As hokey as it sounds, we called ourselves “The Fieldstones”. Go figure! Eat your heart out M G and the Knockouts!