How much do you know about the history behind The Sherwood Hotel? Did you know that there were two other establishments that stood on that same spot? Yea, Me either... The following is an excerpt from an article written two years ago called Punching the Clock: History Lesson, By: Kevin Doonan, Evening Sun Staff Writer: The village of Greene had formed on March 1, 1798 out of land absorbed from the Town of Union, segments of Broome County, and Jericho (now Bainbridge), and was named after the famous Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene, “The Fighting Quaker.” Five years later, the first framed building in Greene was constructed on the location where the Sherwood now stands, by Thomas Wattles, who dubbed the structure Waddle’s Tavern (the name might have actually been Wattle’s Tavern, which would make more sense, but Waddle was how my source spelled it). In 1837, the Chenango House took the place of the Waddle’s Tavern, even though it had not burned down, which was something its successors seemed to find trendy. The Chenango House was an immense building constructed by Alvah Hunt, Col. Elijah Rathbone, and William Hatch. It remained the areas’s principle hotel throughout the 19th century, until it burned down in 1905. The building was similar in both scope and design to the Sherwood, though the Chenango’s exterior featured a much wider porch which spanned the entire width of the building’s facade and climbed up to the third floor where it was capped off with a gradually inclined roof with a blunted crown. The fire which put an end to the Chenango House took place in March of 1905. Although no one perished in the fire, property loss amounted to an estimated $20,000, which is equivalent to between $500,000 and $730,000 today. An account written in an article published on March 30, 1905, describes how people were trapped on the third story and were forced to jump out windows. “Miss Clara Fisher, a stenographer in R.A. Race’s insurance office, was in her room on the third floor, but the hall being filled with smoke, her chance of escape was cut off. She raised the window and dropped to the second story, catching the limb of a tree. While here, she attempted to get back in the building, when A.C. Abbuhl, who saw her from the walk, cried to her to jump and he would catch her. This she did, and striking Mr. Abbuhl’s knees, fell to the ground. She was picked up and carried to Mr. Race’s residence and examined.” A quote credited to an unknown Chenango County writer stated at the time, “It is not thought she is badly injured, but sustained a terrible shock.” A charred hole was all remained of the Chenango Hotel for close to a decade before a coalition of citizens assembled to build a replacement. Led by Erford Page, president and founder of the Page Seed Company, the group sought subscribers to fund the project. New York City resident Mrs. Mary Blodgett, the wealthy wife of a Central New York railroad tycoon, heard of Page and his co-conspirators’ efforts and she was compelled to hand over $25,000 to the group. Blodgett had only two stipulations, first the hotel be named after her mother, Mrs. Sherwood, who lived in Greene, and two that for all eternity it be a temperance hotel. Well, I guess one out of two is nothing to sneeze at. The Sherwood saw a fair amount of success, even warranting a visit from Col. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the son of ole’ Teddy the “whisper so people can’t hear what you’re saying then bludgeon them with a big stick” Roosevelt. Another fire put an end to the Sherwood’s heyday in 1962. The second conflagration was not a total loss though, as the fire in 1905 had been. The burned-out husk of the Sherwood sat idly by until Edward W. McGowan got his hands on it and reopened it in 1979. A crowd lined up around the block for the 1979 opening day, with a conservative estimate from the time numbering 5,000 attendees. Since 1979 the Sherwood has changed hands a number of times and seen a modicum of success. Currently new owners are in the middle of renovations on the Sherwood, which will reopen sometime this year to the eager anticipation of many. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Of course many now now that The Dunlaps bought the latest incarnation of The Sherwood Hotel and renovated The Old Beauty to its former glory! If you havent been inside yet, you really should take a stroll through. Its an awesome place to hold your next event AND an even cooler place to put up a relative or two when they come to town. And if your relatives are anything like mine... The Sherwood has a special place to help you handle all that drama. Its called The Tap Room and its just down stairs..... I give that a couple of Sharoots! Wess Wally VanVoorhis
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 21:45:43 +0000
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