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OCTOBER 2019 • BACKROADS
WE’RE OUTTA HER E
a weekend destination keeping you on the backroads
RogUes haRBoR inn 2079 e shoRe dRive, lansing, ny 14882 • 607-533-3535 • WWW.RogUeshaRBoR.Com Ithaca is Gorges. So, the saying goes, and they’re right. In fact, the entire Finger Lakes region of New York is pretty spectacular – in addition to the natural beauty – the gorges, lakes, and waterfall – there are dozens of lakeside wineries, breweries and distilleries. There are state parks, quaint towns, interesting and different museums and one of the biggest Wildlife Refuges in the nation. The area is packed with deep history as well, from the ancient glaciers that carved the region’s topography, to native tribes, and the settlements of Europeans in the region. There were a few wars as well – the War of 1812, against the British, made a lasting impression on the area and created its own chapter in the history books. One career soldier for our side was Major General Daniel Minier, of the New York State Militia’s Artillery. In 1830, after a lifetime in the service, he retired and built a most impressive hotel; the first brick structure in the region and incredibly over-built. He called it the Central Exchange Hotel. It was named such as it was created for the stage traffic from Elmira to Auburn and Cortland to Penn Yann. The first known bill for the hotel was, “50 cents admission, supper and horses extra...” Such a deal!
The inn’s original cost was approximately $40,000 and took 12 years to complete. It featured 15-inch thick brick walls, more than 13 working fireplaces, with columns stretching three stories. Even today the workmanship stands the test of time – the Rogues Harbor Inn is very impressive and is only getting better and is on the National Historic register. Major General Minier died in 1849 and his remains were placed in the Asbury Cemetery. With new owners came a new name and it was called Elm Grove Hotel in 1890 for the row of beautiful elm trees planted in front of the Inn. At that time, it was a stopping place for horse thieves and other no-gooders. Rogues Harbor, or the Harbor, received its current name shortly thereafter, around 1900, when it is said that a patron in high spirits climbed to the roof of a nearby building, and hurling a bottle of whiskey against the brick, proposed a toast, “here’s to a harbor of rogues.”
If walls could talk there would be volumes here at the Rogues Harbor Inn. Counterfeiters, hidden caches of funny money, bootlegging during prohibition, and the capture and imprisonment of Edward Ruloff - a 19th-century American doctor, lawyer, schoolmaster, photographer, inventor, carpet designer, phrenologist, and philologist, in addition to a career criminal and serial killer. He was known as The Genius Killer and was the last man publicly hung