- By Dan Veaner
- Around Town
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One of Lansing's most distinctive landmarks is the Rogue's Harbor Inn on the corner of Routes 34 and 34B. All year the inn is celebrating its 175th anniversary. We though it fitting to help celebrate by taking you on a virtual tour of the inn.
Built in 1830, General Daniel D. Minier spent an unheard of $40,000.00 to build the four story Central Exchange Hotel on land he inherited from his father. Over the years it had other names, like Elm Grove House, and finally Rogue's Harbor Inn after ruffians from the Cayuga Lake barge trade who frequented the bar. It has been a hotel, a country club, boarding house and bed & breakfast.
Originally it was a stop for stage traffic that went from Elmira to Auburn and from Cortland to Pen Yan. In 1908 an electric trolly originating in Ithaca stopped at the inn, a part of the NY, Auburn and Lansing Railroad. When the trolley got to the South Lansing station, where the Crossroads bar currently stands, passengers switched to a steam train for the rest of the trip to Auburn. The railroad was short lived, closing in 1923.
At one point the inn was a country club, for motorists who wanted to go somewhere in their cars, when there were few cars and roads. In the 18th century it may have been a stop on the "Undergroud Railroad" which helped escaped slaves find their way to freedom.
Today the inn houses a restaurant, the original bar and a bed & breakfast, and the current owner, Eileen Stout allowed us to tour the inn with our photographer as well as to reproduce some historical photographs so we could give you a look at Rogue's Harbor then and now. In addition Harriet Larin spoke to us about her experiences growing up near the inn and town Historian Louise Bement has shared facts about the inn's history. We hope you enjoy this in-depth profile and that it will help you enjoy the ongoing 175th anniversary celebrations that will culminate with a New Year's party.
On the Business Page: Rogue's Harbor Today
On the Around Town Page: Rogue's Harbor Yesterday, Rogue's Harbor Fun Fact, Photos from now and yesterday.