The year is 1900 and a new modern health resort is opening in Maribel. Advertising with the slogan “just the place for the weary to seek rest and comfort”, the 450 acre resort opened with astounding popularity.

In 1893 Walter Steinbrecher (also known as Steinbrecker) bought the property. Steinbrecher’s father, Charles (an Austrian immigrant) envisioned a health spa similar to the ones popular in Austria at the time. Walter’s brother, Father Francis X. Steinbrecher, purchased the land in 1900 and began to make his father’s dream a reality. At the time Steinbrecher was a priest at St. Mary’s in Kaukauna and was fortunate to have many stone masons in his parish. Thirty men from the parish were hired to construct the building with local limestone. The hotel took four months to construct.

Under Steinbrecher’s ownership, the hotel became a spotlight destination for travels from across the county seeking rest and relaxation in the property’s accommodations. Beautifully painted murals greeted guests in the front lobby. Over 200 guests could be found on a daily basis enjoying the elegant dining room and spacious property. The two upper floors hosted 42 guest rooms. The site also became a popular place for religious retreats.

“Modern” conveniences such as a dumbwaiter and piping provided mineral water to guests in their rooms. The Maribel Caves Springs Company built a bottling plant behind the hotel in 1900 also. The water from the springs was bottled and shipped across the Midwest to cities such as Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis.

“Fine bathing, boating, fishing, low cliffs, springs sprouting five-inch streams from their sides along the cliff; four wonderful caves and finest hotel accommodations”, describes and informational brochure.

When Steinbrecher died in 1927, his mother leased the property and the mood surrounding the health spa changed quickly. In 1988, the late Bob Lyman wrote an article to the State Historical Society saying, “the hotel experienced a radical change in clientele which included moonshiners, prostitutes, and reportedly John Dillinger and Al Capone.”

In 1932 the property was sold to Cherney Construction Company. Adolph Cherney, a prominent road and bridge builder, operated the site as a tavern. He sold 75 acres to Manitowoc County in 1963 for a park. The remaining property, including the hotel (turned into a tavern) and bottling works plant (then used for storage), stayed in the Cherney family until the early 1970s.

A variety of owners followed the Cherney family. Stanley Jerabek bought the tavern and operated it until 1976, then selling to Richard Wagner. Wagner was a great-grandson of Charles Steinbrecher, the original owner proprietor. Jeff Miller operated the site from 1981 for a few years before former Manitowoc County Historical Society President Bob Lyman and his wife Doris purchased the hotel and bottling works building. After numerous fires and vandalism ravaged through the building, the Lyman’s purchased the property to save the site from demolition.

While the hotel’s rooms are no longer filled with guests seeking a relaxing vacation, the building is a true historic treasure. The building, with what is left, stands partially intact following the tornado that ripped through the area in 2013. The Maribel Caves Hotel building remains a beautiful structure full of history.

*It is important to note that the property is off limits to the public and is privately owned.

Fact or Fiction?

Following a fire at the structure in 1985, rumors began to spread about the building being haunted. When HTR Media asked Sue Kornely in 2002 if these stories had any validity, she said that it “was not entirely accurate.” Her husband, Richard — grandson of the original owner Charles Steinbrecher — told her that “The only ghost he ever saw was his grandfather walking around in his one-piece nightshirt.”

Not only is the inn known for its ghost stories, it is known to have been frequented by gangsters. When prohibition was introduced and the 18th Amendment was passed in 1920, many people of the United States still wanted to enjoy beer and spirits. With that came the notorious bootleggers and organized crime running the show. According to reports, John Dillinger allegedly frequented the hotel as a stopover on his way to Eagle River. It is also said that the notorious Al Capone was known to visit the hotel.

Maribel Caves Hotel

The JOHN SCHUETTE: Last Schooner built at Two Rivers

A Letter from Brandy Station, Virginia, on April 4, 1864