top of page

Allied Wine Corporation and the Old Spanish Tunnel

​

Tucked away in Ellenville on Berme Road is Allied Wine Corporation.  They sell kosher wines and whiskey through the website alliedwine.com. 

What is interesting here is that the building was the original Sun Ray.   From 1907 - 1934 (not continuously)

The  Sun Ray Spring & Bottling Works produced water and soda products  at this site.  When it opened in 1907 it produced an amazing 30,000 bottles of water a day from their spring at the base of the Shawangunk Ridge.

 

A quarter mile uphill from the factory,  the spring is located in " The Old Spanish Tunnel."   The tunnel extends more than 500 feet and branches off in several directions.  It was discovered in 1905 and legend has it this tunnel has something to do with Ponce de Leon's crew after they left Florida .  Discussion of the tunnel's origin can be found in  Treasure Tales of the Shawangunks and Catskills  by Harold Harris, chapter 15,   Fountain of Youth. 

 Sun Ray water was  promoted as the "world's

purest water" by the  Pure Rock Company ,   under the same ownership as White Rock and featured a mostly naked kneeling woman with wings on its label.   The name of the company, a tribute to the Shawangunk ridge as Shawangunk means white rock.

​

During World War II ,  Pepsi used the plant for bottling.

​

The Ellenville Public Library and Museum has a  display of items from Ellenville's early  industries including Sun Ray.

​

​

​

circa 1912,  Ellenville Library and Museum
white rock.jpg
bottom of page