History

The History Of The Hulbert House

The Holland Company purchased a large track of land in Oneida County of which a considerable part lay in what is now Boonville. It was in 1793 that Gerrit Boon came to America and on the present site of Boonville, established a settlement.Gerrit Boon named his settlement Kortenaer and the name endured for a time but settlers holding Boon in great esteem, began to call the place Boon’s settlement, and latter it was changed to Boonville.

The Town of Boonville was formed from the Town of Leyden, March 28, 1805. The first election for the town of Boonville was held April 22, 1805. The Village of Boonville was incorporated in 1855. The chief industry in the early days was lumbering. Early mills which abounded were saw and grist mills, planning foundries, a machine shop, a tub, churn and barrel factory, a steam flouring mill, a carriage and wagon foundry and a chair factory. In the early 1800′s the village had several hotels and taverns, including the Hulbert House.

The Hulbert House was built in either 1812 or 1819 and has since operated as a hotel and inn. Historians differ on the date, but agree that the Black River limestone, two story structure was built by Ephraim Owens and was the first two story building built in the village. Its has a broad portico supported by heavy columns of limestone, which were later encased in wood.

Probably no hotel in Northern New York can boast of such long-lasting and far reaching fame as that of the Hulbert House. In the 1800′s it is said to have been the most famous hotel between the Erie Canal and the St. Lawrence River.

The History of the Hulbert House threads its way back through fiction and romance to the time when dense forests of pine and spruce covered this portion of the Adirondack Plateau. Its foundation was laid when Indians quietly wound their way over trails through Highmarket to the Fulton Chain of Lakes in quest of game. It was an overnight place for post riders who carried the mail in saddle bags from Utica to Watertown (outpost to the north). It was a scene of great activity where horses were changed by stagecoach and where passengers shook the kinks out of their weary legs and bent their elbows at the Hulbert House bar.

In the 1840′s and 1850′s, the Black River Canal was opened and the Black River Railroad was completed with Boonville as it northern terminus. Boonville boomed as a shipping point for potatoes, lumber, and other forest products. The hotel became the center around which the life, brought about by the canal and railroad revolved. For many years it was the meeting place where plans were made and activities centered when big things were in the making. Then, as it is today, it was the scene of many parties and celebrations, where banqueting and dancing provided entertainment.
In 1839, it was purchased by Richard Hulbert, who added another story and twenty additional feet to the west side. Sometime in the 1870′s it was sold to George May, who operated it until 1883, when he sold it to George Beck, who ran it for twenty years. He acquired the hotel for $12,000.

In 1903, Jerry Buckley, who had been running the Central Hotel in Boonville, purchased the Hulbert House and the Buckley family (Jerry, Fred, and Agnes) continued to operate it for forty years (1903-1943). Besides operating the Hulbert House, Jerry Buckley owned horses and he use to drive the Hulbert House bus, which was a carriage drawn by horses. He would transport passengers from the Hotel to the train station and it was said that he made many a sale showing off his fine horses.

In 1943, Angelo E. Garbarino purchased the Hulbert House from the Buckley family. Joe as he was called, restored the colonial beauty and simplicity of the building. It was Joe, who discovered the fireplace in the Kortenaer Kitchen when he decided to extend the kitchen. The fireplace was boarded up behind a wall. Many a person can hardly wait till the cold weather comes so they can sit around the fireplace and talk over old times. Joe and Ward Yeomans, a local engineer, designed and made the cherry Pioneer Bar and the tables and captain chairs that are in the bar and cocktail lounge.

The present The Daskiewich’s purchased the Hulbert House in 1964. The present owners made several additions, including the Ephraim Owens Banquet Room. Today your hosts Frank, Tracy and Eileen operate the Hulbert House and continue the tradition which began over 180 years ago.