Our Story

This is the story of how we took an empty shell of a house, and turned it into a home.

The Loyalsock Creek experienced a record 500 year flood on September 8, 2011. The flood was due to a convergence of rare events. First, there were unusually heavy rains during the first four weeks of August. Then the area received three to five inches of rain from Hurricane Irene on August 28. Farther upstream, extreme rains added an additional 7+ inches of rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Finally, on September 8, 2011, enhanced rainfall occurred due to a moisture plume from Hurricane Katia. The combination of these events caused a catastrophic flood that reached above the kitchen windows, as well as washing out many other houses and businesses in the area.

On May 5, 2012, nine months after the flood, we visited the cottage for the first time and found a gutted husk - just baseboard and beams. During the summer of 2012, we slept outside on the screened porch while we slowly turned the empty shell that had been left by the flood into a home. Since then, we’ve worked tirelessly to make Blue Belle cozy, comfortable and welcoming. We think Blue Belle, our little cottage, is full of beauty and charm. It has been a labor of love.

Belle is the French word for beautiful. In English, belle means a woman or girl admired for her beauty and charm. We are proud to share our space with you, and we hope you find the same serenity and joy here that we do!