This guest register, is from the Westover Hotel, which once stood at the four corners in the middle of the village of Richmondville.
*Much of what we know about the hotel and the property on which it stands comes from the research and writing done by late local historian George M. Simmons. Included in the history below are excerpts from “History of the Westover Hotel…Richmondville” written in 1932 by Mr. Simmons and featured in the Spring/Summer 1964 Schoharie County Historical Review.
The first known mention of the property known as “The Corners at Richmondville” came two years after the American Revolution, when the land was owned by three brothers and one sister of the Zeh family.
The siblings first built and resided in a small frame house in 1784, before one of the brothers, Christyon Zea, built a one and a half story frame house on the site for himself and his new wife, complete with a white picket fence.
It wasn’t until 1795, that the property was leased to George Dox, who opened and operated it as the first ever hotel in Richmondville. According to Simmons,
“It was a place, on the corner, where the weary traveler could find rest and repose.”
Subsequent tavern owners, including Ezra Ackley in 1804 and John Warner in 1825, ran the hotel until John Westover, later known generally as “The Judge” obtained the land 1825.
By the time John Westover had purchased the property, the tavern itself was sadly neglected, so the new owner had the previous building removed and began building a large, red brick building for use as his private residence. Meanwhile he continued to live on his nearby farm with his wife and growing family.
When the grand building at the corners in Richmondville was completed in 1858, however, Mrs. Westover refused to leave the farm where they had always lived and the new building was leased as a private residence for several years.
It was in 1864 when the property was leased to Hirman Schoolcraft that it once again became a place where travelers could find “rest and repose” at the corners in Richmondville. This was a busy time in Richmondville, with the recently arrived D and H Railroad bringing goods and visitors into the heart of the community starting on July 4, 1864.
“From the time of its erection, the Westover House was a two-story building with much fancy wood trimming, with a small porch on the east side and a narrow one running along the north side,” stated Simmons. “During the year 1866, repairs and additions were made, a third story added, more porch additions; on the exterior, the white fence on the east side was removed to afford more light in the basement rooms.”
While Schoolcraft only operated the tavern for 9 months, he was followed by a series of Inn Keepers who kept the hotel full and bustling for years to come. Those proprietors included Austin Becker in 1865, Rice Clark in 1869 and George Schemerhorn until 1871. Other Westover House proprietors include Henry Sheldon, Peter Snyder, James Burneson , L.D. Mattice and Orrin Fox.
From the time it was built in 1858 until 1888, the hotel had been under the ownership of Mr. Westover. Following his passing in 1887, the property was sold by his estate to Dr. G. W. Simmons for $9,000.
“In passing, it should be mentioned that during Judge Westover’s more active years, he had long thought that, for the convenience of the local public the establishment of a bank would be an enterprise well worth his labors,” stated Simmons, “The Richmondville Bank was opened for the public under the firm name of Westover and Foster, as bankers. This banking institution was situated on the first floor of the Westover House and continued there until the Spring of 1888.”
While the Westover Hotel is no longer standing at the corners in Richmondville, you can view a historic marker and see where the stately structure once stood.
