Aerial view of Idylease, the 1903 historic landmark resort hotel in Newfoundland, New Jersey
Pictures · Documents · Film

Idylease Multimedia

The Idylease Collection

A Visual Record of Idylease.

The Idylease multimedia collection brings together historic photographs, printed records, documents, and film material connected to the building, the people who passed through it, and the landscape of Newfoundland, New Jersey.

Idylease Noted Guests video thumbnail featuring Dr. Arthur Zampella
Idylease Noted Guests
Idylease Halloween video thumbnail with cinematic haunted-house imagery
An Idylease Halloween
Walking Tours of Idylease video thumbnail showing the historic resort hotel
Walking Tours of Idylease
Film Locations

Idylease & Newfoundland on Film

Idylease and the historic Newfoundland railroad station have both served as locations for film, television, and music-video production. The station was the original point of arrival for Idylease guests, who continued from the depot by carriage up the mountain.

Still from MTV's The State ‘Lincoln Logs’ sketch filmed on the porch at Idylease

Filmed at Idylease

MTV’s The State

“Lincoln Logs”

The sketch used the main porch and lobby, bringing Idylease’s familiar architecture into a national television comedy production.

Watch the Sketch
Still from Battershell’s ‘Lavender Moses’ music video filmed in the Idylease blacksmith shop

Filmed at Idylease

Battershell

“Lavender Moses”

The music video used the blacksmith shop and surrounding grounds, drawing on the property’s rural character and historic setting.

Watch the Music Video
A figure approaching the Newfoundland railroad station in The Station Agent

Filmed at Newfoundland Station

The Station Agent

Newfoundland Railroad Station

The film used the depot where Idylease guests once arrived by rail before continuing by carriage to the hilltop.

Watch the Trailer
Newfoundland in Story and Picture banner for the 1904 Newfoundland Health Association publication

Open the 1904 publication as a flipbook.

These images document Idylease over time — from its beginnings as a 1903 resort hotel to its later use as a medical and residential institution, and finally as a landmark under private stewardship and public historic preservation. Many of the earliest views originated as glass negatives discovered in the 1980s inside a long-forgotten sealed wooden box. Scanned, digitally processed, and preserved as part of the continuing Idylease collection, they help trace how the building evolved, adapted, and endured for more than a century in the Highlands region of New Jersey.

Move across the media cards below to reveal captions. Select an image to open it in the media viewer, or follow linked records for related pages and documents.

Featured Media

Pictures, documents, and related records

Dr. Edgar A. Day and early guests associated with Idylease Inn View DR. EDGAR ARTHUR DAY: BUILDER OF IDYLEASE When Dr. Edgar Arthur Day built his resort hotel on land he purchased overlooking the village of Newfoundland in 1902, he named it Idylease from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King.
Historic Idylease main lobby photograph from the early resort era View GRAND STAIRCASE The building was constructed during the summer of 1902 with careful attention to making it attractive and homelike.
Historic entrance of Idylease Inn during its early twentieth-century resort years View A MODERN HEALTH RESORT Idylease was conceived as a place where guests could rest and recuperate.
Historic exterior view of Idylease Inn in 1903 View IDYLEASE INN - 1903 Teddy Roosevelt was President and Orville Wright took to air at Kitty Hawk
Thomas Edison standing on the front porch of Idylease Inn in Newfoundland, New Jersey Open THOMAS EDISON AT IDYLEASE Thomas Edison photographed at Idylease Inn during the resort era.
Historic Idylease image representing noted guests and resort-era social life View NOTED GUESTS Idylease attracted the well-to-do and accomplished writers and artists of the day.
Historic view of Idylease construction and early resort development in 1902 View CONSTRUCTION BEGINS IN 1902 The Inn was built for a group of 11 investors calling themselves the Newfoundland Health Association, headed by Dr. Edgar Day of Brooklyn, New York, in 1902.
Newfoundland in Story and Picture 1904 publication thumbnail Open NEWFOUNDLAND IN STORY & PICTURE Written in 1904 by J.P. Crayon, it chronicles the history of Newfoundland up to the turn of the twentieth century.
Idylease Inn 1904 brochure thumbnail Open IDYLEASE INN BROCHURE - PDF Idylease Inn Brochure printed by Pulus Printing Company in Brooklyn, NY in 1904.
Historic Idylease sun porch and music conservatory thumbnail View SUN PORCH & MUSIC CONSERVATORY A salient feature popular at the turn of the twentieth century.
Historic transportation to Idylease from the Newfoundland railroad station View TRANSPORTATION Access was by the Susquehanna rail line to the Newfoundland station. Carriage fare from the depot was twenty-five cents.
Historic hilltop view of Idylease overlooking the Newfoundland Valley View IDYLEASE AT THE CREST OF THE HILL Taken from a hilltop overlooking the Newfoundland Valley. Brown's Hotel stood near what is now the intersection of Green Pond Road and Route 23 South.
Historic Idylease lobby image with 1903 room-rate information View RATES IN 1903 Room rates were $20–$25 per week.
Original Newfoundland Health Association stock certificate issued to Dr. Edgar A. Day View ORIGINAL STOCK CERTIFICATE Issued to Dr. Edgar A. Day who had Idylease built in 1902.
Historic image of Dr. Edgar A. Day and early Idylease guests
DR. EDGAR ARTHUR DAY: BUILDER OF IDYLEASE When Dr. Edgar Arthur Day built his resort hotel on land he purchased overlooking the village of Newfoundland in 1902, he named it Idylease from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King.
Historic Idylease main lobby staircase, circa 1903
THE GRAND STAIRCASE The main lobby staircase at Idylease, circa 1903, showing the original twin staircases, paneled arches, polished woodwork, and early radiator heating system of the newly opened health resort.
Historic Idylease entrance showing the early resort hotel
A MODERN HEALTH RESORT The mechanical systems were the best that could be devised for the early twentieth century.
Idylease Inn exterior view from 1903
IDYLEASE INN - 1903 There were forty-five stars on the American flag. Theodore Roosevelt was President. Before the year was out, Orville Wright would take flight at Kitty Hawk. More than a century later, Idylease remains — one of the region’s rare surviving examples of early twentieth-century resort architecture, and a historic landmark still welcoming guests today.
Thomas Edison standing on the front porch of Idylease Inn in Newfoundland, New Jersey
THOMAS EDISON AT IDYLEASE Thomas Edison photographed on the front porch of Idylease Inn, one of the noted guests associated with the early resort period.
Idylease Inn construction and early development in 1902
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS IN 1902 The Inn was built for a group of 11 investors calling themselves the Newfoundland Health Association, headed by Dr. Edgar Day of Brooklyn, New York, in 1902.
Historic Idylease guest image illustrating 1903 room rates
RATES IN 1903 Room rates were $20–$25 per week.
Idylease sun porch and music conservatory historic photograph
SUN PORCH & MUSIC CONSERVATORY A salient feature popular at the turn of the twentieth century.
Idylease rail transportation from the Newfoundland railroad station
TRANSPORTATION Access was by the Susquehanna rail line to the Newfoundland station. Carriage fare from the depot was twenty-five cents.
Idylease at the crest of the hill above Newfoundland, New Jersey
IDYLEASE AT THE CREST OF THE HILL Taken from a hilltop overlooking the Newfoundland Valley. Brown's Hotel stood near what is now the intersection of Green Pond Road and Route 23 South.
Historic Idylease guests and social life at the resort hotel
NOTED GUESTS Idylease attracted the well-to-do and accomplished writers and artists of the day.
Original stock certificate for the Newfoundland Health Association and Dr. Edgar A. Day
ORIGINAL STOCK CERTIFICATE Issued to Dr. Edgar A. Day who had Idylease built in 1902.