651 Merwin S t.

Jewett New York 12444

518.734.0632 

adenaov@gmail.com

Time and time again

Time and time again

Our historic wedding venue

It is impossible to talk about us without digging into the history of our place. Our family has owned the land, on which the current farmhouse stands, since 1978. We came to the Catskills from the city for the same reasons that brought the New York elite to the original Tower Mountain House resort at the turn of the century. The taste of the water from the spring fed well and the cool, crisp air at the elevation of 2,200 feet are still the perfect reasons to escape.

In 2016, we established Adena Orchard & Vine as a unique event venue. This gave us a chance to be here more. A chance to add and to grow. We can see the bigger picture and dream about the future of this special place. We know that this dream is only possible with you here to join us. We invite the spirit and good energy that you, your family and friends bring. In return, we promise to help make your event one of the best days of your life.




Take a virtual tour
  1. 1839
  2. 1873
  3. 1880
  4. 1882
  5. 1885
  6. 1924
  7. 1938
  8. My Event
  9. My Event
  10. 1998
  11. 2000
  12. 2001
  13. 2007
  14. 2008
  15. 2016
  1. Kirkman Soap Company

    John Kirkman founded the company in 1839 and grew it to be one of the largest soap companies in the world. The Kirkman Soap Company would eventually lose out to the Colgate Company that also purchased property in the area.

  2. The Merwins

    Kids… move those rocks. The clearing of the land for farming while forming the old stone walls in backfields are most likely from the Merwin clan. At one point, there were said to be 49 Merwins attending the local school.

  3. Tower Mountain Retreat

    Proprietor Emmons Pond and his family open a temperance retreat for decent folk to escape the dirty city for fresh air, cool water and clean living.

  4. The Tower Mountain House

    The Tower Mountain Retreat changes its name to the Tower Mountain House.<br>Emmons builds a large addition and greatly improves the property with gravel walks, one hundred maple and ornamental trees and allows booze. Party on Emmons!

  5. The Kirkman family

    Loving the mountain views and one particular apple tree, the Brooklynites purchase vacation property on Tower Mountain. Their family would summer there for more than three generations.

  6. The Tower Mountain House burns

    We can not find exactly when, but around 1924 the Tower Mountain House burned to the ground. Today, the foundation, barn, entry pillars and stone wall guarding the circular driveway are the only remains.

  7. The country house

    The Kirkman family purchases the land across the street to build a house to be given as a wedding gift to their daughter. The land is the former Tower Mountain House plot...now our property.

  8. The Maben farm

    The Mabens prosper during the heyday of the Catskill dairy industry. Today, the barn still has the stanchions in the milking area and signs tacked to the walls with the cows' names, sire, and date of birth.

  9. Adena

    Alana’s parents purchase the old dairy farm with the country house and name it Adena, meaning “adorned, noble, tender” Alana would grow up spending every summer there. Additions are made. Including the sunroom that is now the brides getting ready room.

  10. 10011 to 12444

    Alana & Kevin escape the city weekly and travel up the Hudson with friends in quest for outdoor dining, bonfires and homemade cider. Always thinking...how can we do this for a living?

  11. Alana & Kevin get hitched

    As far as we know, it was the first wedding ever held on the property and it was a barnburner. Over 300 guests were treated to sushi, ribs, an ice cream truck and a live Jazz band.

  12. The Rosedale barn

    The 1820 dairy barn was numbered, dismantled, moved 10 miles and rebuilt on Merwin Street. Being next door, it made sense for Alana & Kevin to buy it in 2018 when it came on the market...how fortuitous.

  13. The country house grows

    A major renovation by Alana’s parents expands the house to over twice the size. Did they realize at the time that they were creating the perfect setup for a wedding venue?

  14. Adena for sale

    On the market...say it ain’t so! But the property does not sell due to the housing market collapse and is rented for the next several years. How do we get it back?

  15. Adena Orchard & Vine

    Finally, during an intense wine drinking session, Alana & Kevin get the brilliant idea to turn Adena into a wedding venue. “The best wedding venue ever” is created.

Our historic wedding venue

It is impossible to talk about us without digging into the history of our place. Our family has owned the land, on which the current farmhouse stands, since 1978. We came to the Catskills from the city for the same reasons that brought the New York elite to the original Tower Mountain House resort at the turn of the century. The taste of the water from the spring fed well and the cool, crisp air at the elevation of 2,200 feet are still the perfect reasons to escape. 


After the era of the legendary Tower Mountain House, the land was purchased by the Kirkman Soap Company family. The Kirkman Family farmed the land, built the barns, and operated a dairy farm for several decades. Many of the farm artifacts still remain from the two story barn with silo and original cow stalls to the open fields that expose the mountain views.


The current house, Adena, meaning “adorned, noble, tender” sits on the historic foundation of the original Tower Mountain House and has been remodeled, expanded and updated over the years to what it is now. In 2000, we got married at Adena. We placed a tent on the great lawn and invited everyone we knew. The ceremony was held on the grounds amongst the fruit trees and berry bushes establishing it as a place of community and love. It was a great party!


In 2016, we established Adena Orchard & Vine as a unique event venue. This gave us a chance to be here more. A chance to add and to grow. We can see the bigger picture and dream about the future of this special place. We know that this dream is only possible with you here to join us. We invite the spirit and good energy that you, your family and friends bring. In return, we promise to help make your event one of the best days of your life.


Alana and Kevin



This is our happy place in the world. We love it here! Our history at Adena is of family, good friends, great food and lots of wine. It has a transporting quality for anyone who comes. Open spaces, bonfires, margaritas on the deck, laying in the hammock and gazing at the stars at night set your mood.

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