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Frontier House (Lewiston, New York)
Encyclopedia
Frontier House was home to several Niagara County businessmen and honored guests. It was considered to be a premiere hotel in its day. The house is recognized as a landmark and a structure on the list of National Register of Historic Places listings in Niagara County, New York since 1974. The structure served as a hotel, private home, a fine dining restaurant, museum, fast food establishment (McDonald's
), and several unwelcomed spirits. It is found in Western New York
, about ten minutes from Niagara Falls
.
, of Niagara County and was hailed as the best hotel west of Albany
. Prominent business men of Lewiston, Benjamin and Samuel Barton along with Joshua Fairbank headed the building of the tavern. Its walls were shaped with stone from Canada by 18 men over 18 months. As the structure was erected, Lewiston attracted more people than the city of Buffalo, New York
. The structure when completed stood four stories high. Its rectangular shape, double parallel chimneys, oval windows, full width porch and hipped roof is characterized as the Federal style of architecture The first floor served as offices, the second was a luxurious ballroom. The third floor included fourteen bedrooms with fireplaces and the fourth floor was used for meetings, famously for free masons. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic places on July 8, 1974.
, President William McKinley
, Samuel Clemens, Charles Dickens
, Henry Clay
, Daniel Webster
, John L. Sullivan
and Jenny Lind
were all honored guests of the Frontier House. In the 1800s ten coach trains arrived and departed from the Frontier House hotel daily carrying these among other influential people.
. Hotel employees claimed doors opened and closed voluntarily. Workers during the remodeling of the house for the McDonald's restaurant found tools and other equipment disappear before their eyes. Contractors heard strange sounds and windows opened. Ghosts of an elderly man have been seen in the pantry and an employee showering in the residence saw a silhouette of a woman. There is a theory that while the structure was being built, one worker fell from the third floor into the basement and died. The legend says that two of his fellow workers stuffed him in a stone used to build the wall of the basement to cover up the evidence.
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
), and several unwelcomed spirits. It is found in Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
, about ten minutes from Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
.
Early history
The Frontier House, built in 1824, is situated at 460 Center Street, Lewiston, New YorkLewiston, New York
Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, an early 19th-century governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.The Village of Lewiston,...
, of Niagara County and was hailed as the best hotel west of Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. Prominent business men of Lewiston, Benjamin and Samuel Barton along with Joshua Fairbank headed the building of the tavern. Its walls were shaped with stone from Canada by 18 men over 18 months. As the structure was erected, Lewiston attracted more people than the city of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. The structure when completed stood four stories high. Its rectangular shape, double parallel chimneys, oval windows, full width porch and hipped roof is characterized as the Federal style of architecture The first floor served as offices, the second was a luxurious ballroom. The third floor included fourteen bedrooms with fireplaces and the fourth floor was used for meetings, famously for free masons. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic places on July 8, 1974.
Guests
Dewitt ClintonDeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton was an early American politician and naturalist who served as United States Senator and the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal...
, President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, Samuel Clemens, Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
, John L. Sullivan
John L. Sullivan
John Lawrence Sullivan , also known as the Boston Strong Boy, was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing from February 7, 1881 to 1892, and is generally recognized as the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing under the London Prize Ring rules...
and Jenny Lind
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
were all honored guests of the Frontier House. In the 1800s ten coach trains arrived and departed from the Frontier House hotel daily carrying these among other influential people.
Ownership
The hotel was maintained by its descents and later turned into a private home. George Rector purchased the inn and added the Frontier House Restaurant. Daughters of Rector inherited the hotel in the 1930s. In the economic boom of the 1960s area factories in Niagara Falls were welcoming newcomers at a rate of 11,000. The Frontier House rented its rooms to sleep three for each eight hour shift because of the growing demand for housing. In June 1964, Mr. and Mrs. James Russell of Buffalo renovated the hotel into a museum and restaurant. Dining rooms, the Lafyette Ballroom was named on the second floor, a Victorian parlor and Early American bedroom styles were presented on the third floor and the fourth was private quarters. In September 1973, the manager and chef of Frontier House were rescued in a fire. One dining room was destroyed along with widespread water damage. Two years later the historic hotel of Lewiston's future was handed to William McDonald, who restored the interior and leased it to the McDonald's food chain. Today, the structure sits empty with McDonald's arch removed and the historc names of guests reappearing on its porchHaunting accounts
Frontier House of Lewiston is believed to be haunted by a bricklayer who opposed the Free Masons. William Morgan was kidnapped and held behind the house until he allegedly was imprisoned at Fort NiagaraFort Niagara
Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.-Origin:...
. Hotel employees claimed doors opened and closed voluntarily. Workers during the remodeling of the house for the McDonald's restaurant found tools and other equipment disappear before their eyes. Contractors heard strange sounds and windows opened. Ghosts of an elderly man have been seen in the pantry and an employee showering in the residence saw a silhouette of a woman. There is a theory that while the structure was being built, one worker fell from the third floor into the basement and died. The legend says that two of his fellow workers stuffed him in a stone used to build the wall of the basement to cover up the evidence.
External links
- A Picture History of Lewiston Landmarks
- Frontier House
- Frontier House, 450 Center Street, Lewiston, Niagara County, NY: 5 photos, 2 data pages and 1 photo caption page, at Historic American Building Survey