Hemlockstone: A Hamburger Joint Since 1965

December 17, 2025| Community, Fundraising, People

By: Bob Hamburger and the Lake Hopatcong Foundation

Lake Hopatcong Foundation supporters are passionate about protecting Lake Hopatcong now, and for future generations. Here’s what protecting Lake Hopatcong means to The Hamburger Family…

Question: How does a kid from Nutley with a name like Hamburger avoid the endless teasing growing up in those formative years?

Answer: Summers on Lake Hopatcong! While kids at school had their fun with my last name, I had something they didn't—endless summers on New Jersey's largest lake.

The year was 1965 when Jerry and Sylvia Hamburger purchased the home I currently live in on the West Shore of the lake. For a sizable sum (at the time) of $29,000, so began our family's years of lake enjoyment at "Hemlockstone," the name etched above the outdoor porch dining table by the home's original owner, circa 1905. Yes, the log cabin, Swiss chalet-style original lake house still has many of the bark-on-wood hemlock beams on its exterior!

Since I was 7 years old, as soon as school in Nutley was out in June, I would help my folks load the Oldsmobile station wagon and we would drive out route 46, later route 80, and settle in for a summer of relaxation and decompression. The Hamburger Family (parents and big sisters Carol, Joanne, and Bette), actually had earlier lake roots, renting on Cove Road in Mt. Arlington in the early 1950's, before I was even born. So, returning to purchase this house in 1965 brought us full circle.

In my early years on the lake, boating to restaurants like the original Windlass or The Pagoda in River Styx were regular jaunts. Of course, there were many trips by boat to Bertrand's Island Amusement Park, where my favorites were Skee-ball, The Lost River, and the roller coaster. In fact, as our home was directly across from the amusement park, we would sit on our outdoor porch and hear the screams of thrill-seekers riding the roller coaster on the first and second big drops!

As a teenager, waterskiing and partying at the house with friends (when my parents weren't around) hold some great memories, and my three children later followed suit. I recall getting a call from the Hopatcong police one night during a sleepover my kids were having—my wife and I were at our Morris County home—saying neighbors were complaining about the noise. Like father, like kids.

Fast forward to recent years, my wife Cynthia and I moved into the house year-round in 2020. We built an addition onto the original footprint of Hemlockstone, using bark-on-wood hemlock beams that our contractor sourced from Vermont during the project—much to the continuing delight of the Hopatcong squirrel community.

As our house has a certain eye appeal from the lake, it often happens that when boaters drive by and I'm on the dock, they might shout out something to the effect of "love your house and would be interested if you ever wanted to sell!"  I have a regular response to that…"take that up with my kids someday!"

Lake Hopatcong, like Hemlockstone, is a special place enjoyed by generations of people, one we want to ensure stays clean and healthy for our family and others, far into the future. My wife Cynthia now serves as a member of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation Board of Trustees, as I did from 2018-2024, and we are proud to support the Foundation’s efforts to care for our lake. It’s a small way for us to give back to the lake community, of which we’ve been a part for so many years and will always feel connected!

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Now through December 31, we invite you to tell us what protecting Lake Hopatcong now and for the future means to you and give a gift that helps efforts to keep our lake healthy and vibrant.  We have an ambitious year-end goal of raising $70K, and your donation in any amount goes a long way in supporting efforts to protect and improve our lake and community.

When making your donation, you can also choose to give in honor or memory of someone special. If you so choose, we’ll proudly include your name and your tribute’s name on our website.

YOU CAN DONATE HERE

Thank you for supporting efforts to protect the environment and enhance the experience on and around Lake Hopatcong, ensuring a bright future for generations to come!