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Erieville Hotel

This historical sketch by Mrs. Daisy Griffin Frances appeared in the Cazenovia Republican on January 26, 1939, page 8.

Following is a brief resume of the Erieville Hotel, recently destroyed by fire, which was my former home.  <It is> written by request of Worthy Lecturer, Mrs. Ruth Magee of Erieville Grange, for her lecture hour, and with an apology for personalities...

The second hotel on this same site was built by Thomas Medbury in 1820.  Henry L. Griffin, who was my father, as many of you know, kept it until 1871. The first tavern on its site, built by Ephiriam Mallory was a frame building and was torn down to make room for the one built by Mr. Medbury.  In July 1884, the hay in the barn caught fire at noon from Mr. Kelley's sawmill that was near where the depot now stands and in 20 minutes everything was in rains, only a very few things were saved.  Our horses were saved as they had carried the Sunday school children to the Temple for a picnic.  It was thought that the whole town would be wiped out as 57 fires started from this one. I was a child ill in bed with the measles.  After the fire we lived in what is now Wesley Sternburg's place, which we owned at the time.  One year from the date of the fire, July 1885, we were living on the same site in this last and third hotel which my father built.  It was a large three-story hotel.  My father had two dances a year.  People coming from long distances to attend these widely known occasions on the July 4th and Christmas.  Eighty four couples dancing at once in the square dances with many spectators sitting around one large room which covered the whole house except the part on the west side without a post or obstruction of any kind and the best music that could be obtained.  My mother prepared the elaborate suppers, commencing to serve about 10 or 11 o'clock and extending until 2 or 3 in the morning when all were served.  My father died June 15, 1895.

My mother and I continued to serve the public until she also passed away on April 27, 1904, and I continued on until after my marriage at the church with a large reception at the hotel February 8, 1905, giving possession on April 1, 1905 to Edwin Hart.  This was in the horse and buggy days and we had a very prosperous town, with many trains.  Agents and others came regularly for meals and to stay for the night or longer.  When I sold there were still those who had been coming for about thirty-four years to our Erieville Hotel, widely known as the "Griffin Hotel".

It was a real home for many and a gathering place for church rehearsals, as I was the church organist for many years, and the young people of my age.  Mr. Hart took out a license the year he bought it (as it was a temporance hotel) and sold it to Will Johnson, who changed the interior of the first floor and then or a little later the veranda around the hotel was removed. He conducted the place for ten or eleven years when it again changed hands.  The late Frank Blair and wife soon closed it as a hotel and Mrs. Blair continued to live there until recently when it has been operated by Jack Hosid.  At 2:45 a.m. December 31, 1938, it was discovered all in flames and vacant, beyond all hope of saving.  Thanks to our own Fire Department and the New Woodstock Department and lack of wind, the town and the hotel barn were saved.  It was an imposing building for a small place like Erieville and consequently the ruins spoil the attractiveness of the four corners.

Naturally, it means much to me to have my former home, built by my parents, in ruins.

To read more historical "facts" written by Mrs. Daisy Francis, click here.