Love, Lyrics & Historic Land: The Story of Katie & Louis, Owners of The Maples Estate
Between sound stages and vendor schedules, somewhere in the organized chaos of running a music and arts festival in New York's Capital Region, Katie Hammon and Louis Apicello discovered they made a pretty good team. And they were falling in love.
"We both came from creative worlds," Katie explains. "I'm an event producer and musician. Louis is a project manager and musician—he plays trumpet, accordion, really anything he can get his hands on." That shared rhythm of creativity and logistics would lead them to a 12-acre property on Schoharie Hill Road in 2018, where an 1855 colonial farmhouse sat waiting for someone to see its potential.
Today, it's The Maples Estate: an immersive wedding retreat blending nature and luxury in Upstate New York's Schoharie Valley.
Katie's roots stretch back to Fox Island, a small slip of land in Washington State's Puget Sound. At 17, she left the Pacific Northwest for upstate New York to study music industry and event management at the College of Saint Rose in Albany. Louis grew up in Kingston—close enough to Schoharie that he'd visited Howe Caverns as a kid, but far enough that the valley still felt like discovery.
When they married in 2016, they hit a frustrating roadblock: finding a wedding venue that would let them truly customize their celebration. They pieced together a ceremony at the Troy library and reception at the Hangar (a local bar) with friends, local food, and live music—everything they wanted, but nearly impossible to coordinate, even for Katie, then Executive Director of the Downtown Troy Business Improvement District (BID).
"We wanted flexibility, creativity, and the freedom to design a weekend-long celebration," Katie recalls. "But we couldn't find it."
That frustration planted a seed. What if they could create the venue they'd been searching for?
Living in Troy, the couple set Zillow search radiuses around their home—one hour, two hours, almost settling on a property three hours away in Connecticut before circling back to Schoharie (one of the first properties they visited is right down the road). The 1855 colonial farmhouse had once housed a three-season bed and breakfast and was the former home of Don Cameron Shaffer, Schoharie County's best-known local author who wrote Smokefires in Schoharie. The grand veranda offered southern charm with Hague blue ceilings against bright white columns. Schoharie Creek meandered alongside the property. Multi-tiered red barns stood ready for reimagining.
"When we first stepped onto the property, we could see it all," Louis says. "Not just what it was, but what it could become."
They bought it. Then came the work: stripping wallpaper (keeping two gorgeous vintage staples), pulling carpet to reveal original wood floors, reimagining every room. With Katie's eye for design as honed producing concerts, festivals, , and city-wide block parties and Louis's project management skills, they began the transformation.
Over the years they have hired local contractors: Vedder Excavating, 157 Concrete, Double B Electric, to name a few. Neighbors recommended welders and plumbers. By the time they opened in 2021, the community already knew what was happening on Schoharie Hill Road. Even the previous owners felt the magic—one of their daughters returned to get married at The Maples Estate.
The Maples Estate opened as an intentionally unconventional venue.
Instead of four-hour time slots, Katie and Louis created full weekend experiences, Thursday through Sunday, where couples and up to 17 guests stay in the restored 4,500-square-foot farmhouse. "We wanted couples to wake up rested on their wedding day, to actually have time to connect with their guests instead of rushing from event to event," Katie explains.
The property offers multiple event locations: the Tree Grove by Schoharie Creek, the cocktail lawn and meadow with mountain views, a 4,000-square-foot covered pavilion, and intimate spots perfect for welcome dinners or late-night campfires that Louis keeps burning into the wee hours. But what truly sets them apart is Katie's dual role as venue owner and wedding planner. Her planning packages - from wedding coaching to full-service design - are included every weekend. Couples from New Jersey, New York City, Boston, Seattle, LA, Philadelphia, Texas, even London find them online and book months out.
"By the time they arrive, I've been talking to them for months," Katie says. "We feel a connection. We're all building this together."
Katie also launched Second House, a consulting business helping individuals and entrepreneurs with wedding planning, event production, business strategy, and websites (check out Wiggle on Main’s website). Louis handles the grounds, mowing fields, tending trees, setting up chairs, helping grandmothers find ceremony spots, solving last-minute hiccups with the calm that lets couples breathe.
During wedding season, Katie and Louis live in a converted off-grid school bus “Skoolie” on the back of the property, making room for guests in the farmhouse. When winter arrives, they move back inside, "stretching our legs and dreaming up ways to make The Maples Estate even more intentional and guest friendly."
It's unconventional. It's also very much them. "Owning a business is stressful," Katie admits. "But this was a dream, and now it's real."
"We're rooted here now," Katie says. "It would be a big deal if we ever moved away."
Louis's father moved from Kingston to the Village of Schoharie while Katie's mother relocated from Washington State to Cobleskill. Both families followed their children here, drawn by the same pull. So how could they? The couple now hosts an annual campout weekend for their friends and families becoming a cherished tradition, bringing their loved ones together on the property they've transformed.
Being rooted for Katie and Louis means taking part and appreciating all of the local gems that the area has to offer; Sunday mornings at Middleburgh Coffee, familiar faces at the local hardware store, buying Rockerbox Spices at The Carrot Barn and local beer from Wayward Lane to name a few. They recommend these local treasures plus renting kayaks from the Guernseys, apple picking at Terrace Mountain Orchard, hiking Vroman's Nose, and exploring Howe Caverns to all couples experiencing the region for the first time.
Those red barns? Eventually, they'll become year-round event space—insulated, heated, maybe even a recording studio and space for live music. A return to their roots in the music scene and a way to host local events, reunions, retreats, and celebrations during winter months. For now, they focus on their roughly ten weddings each season and the community that continues to embrace them. Named one of the best wedding venues in New York by Here Comes The Guide and featured in The Boston Globe, Offbeat Wed, and The Knot, The Maples Estate has earned recognition. But the real rewards are smaller: couples returning for anniversaries, family members suggesting reunions, guests who can't stop talking about Schoharie's beauty.
"We love planning with couples who crave intentional design and meaningful experiences," Katie says. "If you care more about the vibe than the rules, and you want a wedding that feels like the best weekend of your life—we're the venue for you."
When Katie and Louis aren't orchestrating dream weddings, they're still making music. Katie's band, Bear Grass, explores themes of time and place, of creating home while holding onto the past - much like they've done in Schoharie Valley.
What they've built isn't just a business. It's proof that sometimes the best love stories help others write their own.
ROOTED
Interviewed and Authored by SEEC Associates, October 2025
Photos taken by Roslyn Rose Photography
RESOURCE BIN
Human
Katie Hammon — Venue Owner, Wedding Planner, Event Producer, Musician
Louis Apicello — Venue Owner, Grounds Manager, Musician
Pup: Maccabee – Greeter & Love Bug
Team: Pearl Higgins, Donna Baird, Kristin Wolkoff, Lindsey Palazzo, Cassandra Yetto
Physical
The Maples Estate: Upstate New York Wedding Venue
238 Schoharie Hill Road, Schoharie, NY 12157
12-acre property, 1855 Colonial Farmhouse, 4,500 sq ft accommodations (sleeps 17), 4,000 sq ft covered pavilion, Tree Grove ceremony site, Cocktail Lawn and Meadow, Schoharie Creek
Industry
Wedding Venue & Planning Services
Named Best Wedding Venue in New York by Here Comes The Guide
Featured in The Boston Globe, Offbeat Wed, and The Knot
Weekend-long wedding experiences (Thursday-Sunday)
Additional: Second House consulting business (wedding planning, business strategy, websites)
Financial
Use of local Contractors: Vedder Excavating, 157 Concrete, Double B Electric
Digital
Website: www.themaplesestate.com
Instagram: @themaplesestate
Website: www.secondhouse.studio
For more information contact marketing@seecny.org.
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