The Cataract House was a hotel in the neighborhood of Buffalo Avenue in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...

. The hotel was established in 1825 but destroyed by fire in 1945. It was a major stop on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

and it was the largest hotel in Niagara Falls. The hotel's name refers to the large and powerful waterfall next to property.

History

The Cataract House Hotel was built on the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

bank in 1825 by owner David Chapman. The land for the hotel near what is now Old Main Street and Buffalo Avenue between Red Coach Inn and Niagara Falls State Park was originally owned by Judge

Samuel DeVeaux Samuel DeVeaux (1789–1852) was a public official in Western New York. Born in New York City in 1789 of Huguenot descent, DeVeaux began his career at the land office in Canandaigua, New York in 1803 and moved to the Niagara area to work as commiss ...

. In 1831,

Parkhurst Whitney Parkhurst Whitney (September 25, 1784 – April 26, 1862) was an American soldier, businessman, and early settler of Niagara Falls, New York who owned the prominent Cataract House. Early life Whitney was born in Conway, Massachusetts on Septembe ...

purchased the hotel and ran it for several years. Whitney later leased the hotel to a corporation run by his son, Solon Whitney (who owned the Whitney Mansion in Niagara Falls), and sons-in-law, James Fullerton Trott and Dexter Ray Jerauld. After Whitney's death in 1862, his son Solon owned the Hotel until 1891 when it was sold to

Peter A. Porter Peter Augustus Porter (October 10, 1853 – December 15, 1925) was a U.S. Representative from New York, and grandson of Peter Buell Porter. Porter was the son of Colonel Peter A. Porter, the Civil War hero who bravely died in the bloody ...

(who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from 1907 to 1909). Porter was the son of Peter Augustus Porter, who was the only son of Gen.

Peter Buell Porter Peter Buell Porter (August 14, 1773 – March 20, 1844) was an American lawyer, soldier and politician who served as United States Secretary of War from 1828 to 1829. Early life Porter was born on August 14, 1773, one of six children born to Dr. ...

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

fame. The Porter family sold the hotel to John McDonald in 1909, who owned it until 1945. Cataract House, which became "the most elegant and popular hotel on the American side," was host to

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

William Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

(when he was the

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), and King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

. The hotel, which by then had occupied an entire city block was across the street from Red Coach Inn, was destroyed by fire in 1945. The site today is Heritage Park located between Buffalo Avenue and Riverway with roadway providing access to the Niagara Reservation – Niagara Falls State Park.

History with the Underground Railroad

The Cataract House employed an entirely African-American wait staff, who helped numbers of former slaves to freedom in Canada. White families would bring their enslaved African Americans with them on their vacations to view the Natural Wonder of Niagara Falls. They referred to their enslaved people as "our servants". Black hotel staff would privately engage the enslaved people and offer to take them to freedom in Canada, if they could be ready quickly. Those who chose the daring escape would be given the route from a side door, along just a few city blocks, to a steep, slippery staircase down to the gorge below of the falls. There they met the rowboat that would ferry them across the treacherous gorge to safety on the Canadian side. The next morning, there would be a white family asking if anyone had seen "our servant". This system, supported by all the Black staff and enabled by the white management, operated from 1825 until 1865. In 2018, a model of the hotel was constructed at the

Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center is a museum in Niagara Falls, New York, based on the history and legacy of the Underground Railroad. Opened in 2018, it is located on the first floor of a historic former U.S. Customhouse buil ...

to highlight its history and importance to the Underground Railroad and the history of Niagara Falls.

Photos

File:Rapids and Cataract House, Niagara, by Barker, George, 1844-1894.png, Rapids and Cataract House, 1844–1894 File:North wing of Cataract House, Niagara Falls, N. Y., by Barker, George, 1844-1894.jpg, North wing of Cataract House, 1844–1894

References

External links

History of the Cataract House and the Underground Railroad
from the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area Commission {{DEFAULTSORT:Cataract House Buildings and structures in Niagara Falls, New York 1825 establishments in New York (state) 1945 disestablishments in New York (state) Underground Railroad locations Demolished hotels in New York (state) African-American history of New York (state)