Frontier House is considered the "crown jewel" of Lewiston's historic district and one of the most historic landmarks in Western New York. In the early 1800s it was known as the finest hotel in America, west of Albany. It has been home to several

Niagara County Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niag ...

businessmen and honored guests. The building has been on the

National Register of Historic Places listings in Niagara County, New York This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Niagara County, New York. The locations of National Register properties and districts (at least for all showing latitude a ...

since 1974. It has served as a hotel, private home, a fine dining restaurant, museum, and a fast food establishment (

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

). It is found in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

, about ten minutes from

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying two photographs''
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Early history

The Frontier House, built in 1824, is situated at 460 Center Street,

Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

, 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 Fairbanks headed the building of the tavern. The Frontier House was constructed of stone from the Bay of Quinte at the Northeastern end of Lake Ontario. 18 men worked 18 months in laying up the solid stone 30-inch walls. Fifteen fireplaces would keep visitors warm. Everyone in town could see the smoke bellowing from the chimneys on the east and west side of the building. It was an imposing structure that fulfilled Benjamin Barton's expectations and was ready to house Gov. Dewitt Clinton and other state officials who came to Lewiston after the official opening of the Erie Canal in Lockport. When completed, the structure stood four stories tall. Its rectangular shape, double parallel chimneys, oval windows, full-width porch and hipped roof is characterized as the

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...

of architecture. Benjamin Barton's office was on the first floor with a large ballroom on the second floor. The third floor included fourteen bedrooms with fireplaces and the fourth floor was used for meetings, famously for

free masons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic places on July 8, 1974.

Guests

Dewitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely res ...

, President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

Samuel Clemens Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has pr ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, ...

John L. Sullivan John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), known simply as John L. among his admirers, and dubbed the "Boston Strong Boy" by the press, was an American boxer recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing ...

and

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 ...

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. Image:William McKinley BAH-p255.png, President William McKinley Image:Mark Twain.jpg,

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

Image:Henry Clay.jpg,

Image:Jenny_Lind_-_JLAsher_1845.jpg, Opera star

, the "Swedish Nightingale"

Ownership

The hotel was maintained by its descendants 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 Lafayette 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

food chain. McDonald's closed in 2004, and the structure has been vacant ever since. It was acquired by the village of Lewiston in July 2013. * 1819: Robert Troup owns property today known as 460 Center Street. * 1824: Benjamin Barton, his son, Samuel and Joshua Fairbanks reach an agreement with Troup to begin constructing the Frontier House. * 1825: The Frontier House opens the same year the Erie Canal begins service that switched commerce from Lewiston to Buffalo. * 1826: William Morgan, the Masonic traitor, was kidnapped by Masons and brought the Frontier House. He was later transferred to Fort Niagara and disappeared. * 1828: Benjamin Barton becomes owner of the Frontier House. * 1843: Amos Tryon becomes owner. * 1844 to 1963: Generations of the Raymond family own and operate the Frontier House. * 1963: James Russell Smith buys the Frontier House and later renovates it. * 1969: Louis Bolis, from Canada, buys the Frontier House. Local attorney, William McDonald, represents him. * 1977: McDonald’s Corp. leases the property to operate the fast food franchise. Jorge Garzon is the first franchise owner. Frank Wasko is the manager. * 2000: Richard Hastings buys the property for $270,000 * 2004: After 27 years, McDonald's closes operations at the site. * 2018: Mayor Collesano and the Village Board sign an agreement to purchase the Frontier House for $800,000. A provision allows the Village to transfer the agreement to another buyer. * 2019: Newly elected Mayor Anne Welch finds a private buyer and the agreement is transferred to a partnership of Jeff and Jerry Williams of Lewiston, and William Paladino of Buffalo. The bulk of the mortgage is financed by Lewiston resident, Bill Game. * 2023: Developers announce $6 million project to fully restore the Frontier House with project completion scheduled for late 2023.

Haunting accounts

The 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 Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

.Revai, Cheri. Haunted New York. Mechaincsberg:Stackpole Books, 2005. 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. The ghost of an elderly man was purportedly seen in the pantry and an employee showering in the residence alleges to have seen the 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.

Gallery

Image:Federalfan.JPG, A federal fan-style window in the entrance of Frontier House. Image:Federalentrance.JPG, The double chimneys of the Federal-style hotel. Image:Frontiertitle.JPG, The official title of the house located between two windows on the front of the structure. Image:Sidefrontier.JPG, A view of the side of building including one of the double chimneys.

References

External links

*
A Picture History of Lewiston LandmarksFrontier House
* {{National Register of Historic Places in New York Hotel buildings completed in 1824 Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Niagara County, New York McDonald's buildings and structures National Register of Historic Places in Niagara County, New York 1824 establishments in New York (state)