The Catskill Mountain House and The World Around is the story of America's first great mountain house, a unique combination of 'civilization and savagery.' It documents the Northern Catskills as America's 19th century vacation land and its 'first wilderness.' Hudson River School Painters, and American writers celebrated the Mountain House and its surroundings like Kaaterskill Falls, North Mountain and landmarks like Alligator Rock. The film tells of the 'Chicken War' and spite hotel, the great steamboat and railroad competition that fed hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Northern Catskills. It also tells how the Catskills moved by the mid 20th century from the mountains to the Borscht Belt to the south. Features vintage film, photographs, art, plus 19th and early 20th century music.