Written by
Rex Ennis posted on August 13, 2014 07:25
On 9 July, 2014 Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the opening of the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel in Clayton, NY, with the following remarks:
"Today, the North Country is gaining a tremendous asset to attract tourism and generate economic activity in the region.The 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel will help draw and retain visitors to the North Country for years to come, and I am proud that the State was able to play a role in bringing this important project to fruition. Tourism is a major driver for the Upstate economy, and this is another example of how we are working to grow the industry and create new opportunities for New Yorkers in the region."
Now step back 120 years…
Charles Goodwin Emery is remembered for three main accomplishments; they are the cigarette making machine, building Calumet Castle and the establishing the New Hotel Frontenac on Round Island.
Born in New Portland, Maine on 20 July 1836; he learned the tobacco business from his Uncle Eben Goodwin. Virtually retiring from the tobacco business when he merged is Uncle’s old firm Goodwin Tobacco with four other companies to form the American Tobacco Company in 1890. He served as treasurer of the new company for a short time and then served as a trustee.
His development of a cigarette making machine provided him with great wealth, as a partner in Bonsack Machine Co., which paid dividends bi-monthly! This added to his income from his interest in American Tobacco, allowing him to pursue his dreams in the Thousand Islands.
He became a friend of George C. Boldt and some say they competed in efforts to develop their properties in the Islands. Indeed, there were many similarities; they built castles, bought large tracks of land in the islands, had a houseboat, a large yacht, and ran a hotel. Boldt’s Waldorf-Astoria was very different from Emery’s New Hotel Frontenac, one a huge property on a big island the other a summer resort hotel on a small island. They did have one thing in common; their owners strived to make them the finest hotels possible.
Emery had a grand scheme for Clayton and after a large fire occurred in 1895, he proposed to remove all buildings on Water Street (now Riverside) between the street and the river. He also planned to erect a grand hotel. This plan would have beautified Clayton. However, the plan failed due to the opposition from some merchants and some legal issues. Emery looked elsewhere to build his grand hotel. Instead he purchased the Hotel Frontenac on Round Island in 1899 and remodeled it into the luxurious New Hotel Frontenac!
Now jump forward 115 years and at last Clayton has a Grand Hotel, the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel.
The 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel is a luxurious 105 room property located at the former Frink Snow plow location. It is a $23 million facility, a joint venture between Hart Hotels and the Krog Corp owned by Clayton Harbor LLC and operated by Hart Hotels, a hotel management company located in Buffalo, New York.
The project received support from various government agencies including a 15 year PILOT agreement with Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency.
The 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel offers all the services and amenities you would expect, including deluxe guest rooms and suites, many with river views and patios! The hotel services include a professional on site concierge, nightly turn down services, indoor pool and Jacuzzi, business center, restaurant, and bar, fitness center, and over 6,000 square feet of conference, and banquet space including a grand ballroom, and breakout meeting space. Guests can dine outside and enjoy spectacular views of the St. Lawrence River and fire pits on the Riverside Patio.
If only Charles Emery were here to see it built; few men have their dreams come true ninety- nine years later.
By Rexford M. Ennis,
Copyright 2014 Rexford M. Ennis All Rights Reserved
Rex Ennis has written several articles for TI Life. His bio is recorded in Contributors in December, 2008. In the past two years Rex has published two important books on the Thousand Islands. The first, published in 2010 is Toujours Jeune Always Young, the biography of Charles G. Emery. It was reviewed in the June 2010 issue. The second, Saints, Sinners and Sailors of the Gilded Age: A compendium of biographical sketches, centered on the Gilded Age in the Thousand Islands, which describes the biographies of every name appearing on a 1889 map published by Frank H. Taylor called: Map of the Thousand Islands; Hotels, Parks and Cottages. See the book review in our July 2011 issue and you will find the map described in the July issue, in the August 2011 issue. Luckily for TI Life readers, Rex is hard at work on a new book – so stay tuned.
