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Some of the best history stories for BeeLines come from readers'and historian clients' requests for information about one of ourlocal historic treasures. The history of that big brick house at309 East Main Street in the Village of Westfield is certainly afascinating story, dating back to at least 1829, and possibly evenearlier. Former historian Dorothy Hopkins Curtis, who wrote "Part I1802-1952" of "A History of Westfield 1802-1997," in "Chapter XIVEarly Taverns and Westfield Inns" on page 56, refers to AndrewYoung's "History Chautauqua County, New York from its FirstSettlement to the Present Time with Numerous Biographical andFamily Sketches" (1875) for information about Drovers' Rest. "Drovers' Rest was another old tavern," Curtis wrote. "According toYoung's History, Reuben Wright, Sr. bought a farm about a mile eastof the village in 1829, and for many years one of his sons kept apublic house there, known then as Drovers' Home. The building isthe present (1952) home of Mrs. Carl Seymour. It was purchased byher father, Mr. Guild, in 1863 or 1865 but he never ran a tavern.Mrs. Seymour said she was told that the house was 147 years old in1951, which if true, would have made it built in 1804. Also, sinceit is now a brick building, the brick must have been a lateraddition as there was no brick here that early. According to Mrs.Seymour, there was once a large half-circle sign saying: 'Drovers'Rest and Temperance House.'" Research online for "Drovers' Inn Westfield NY" brought up a fewreferences to the Drovers' Inn in Westfield, with many other sitesthat were not pertinent. One of the references was to AndrewYoung's History. This turned out to be the full text of thetwo-volume set, and the information about Drovers' Home was foundon pages 614-615, in the biographical section for Westfield.According to the original text, "Reuben Wright ... came toWestfield in 1814 and established the carding and cloth-dressingbusiness on the west side of the (Big Chautauqua) creek, near thepresent (1875) site of Rorig's mill and brewery, which business hecontinued until 1829. He then bought a farm about a mile east fromthe village .. now owned by James O. Guile. A public house was formany years kept there by a son of Mr. (Allen) Wright, and wasdistinguished as the 'Drovers' Home.'" In the Westfield Republican of March 15, 1990, former WestfieldHistorian, the late Billie Dibble, wrote a Dibble's Dabbles titled"Indian Trails, Stagecoach Stops, Were Part Of Westfield's EarlyHistory" in which she includes "Old Drover Inn" still standing at309 East Main Street. She quotes from an earlier history seriespublished in the newspaper in 1961-62, "Westfield Past and Present"by Maureen Ross, "The Guile House." Both the Dibble and Rossarticles are illustrated with a photograph of the house at 309 EastMain Street, thought to have been taken in 1875. According to Ross,Reuben Wright purchased the farm at 309 East Main, in 1829, fromthe Holland Land Company, soon after which he build the long brickhouse. "Two years before his death in 1847, Wright deeded the house andfarm to his son Allen Wright, who for about 10 years conducted theFarmers and Drovers Hotel in the homestead. In 1866 he sold it toJonathan Watson who in 1867 sold it to James O. Guile, thegrandfather of Wellington Guile Seymour," whose home it was in1961when Ross wrote her article. The Ross article contains many interesting facts and anecdotesabout the Guile House, including that there are about 30 rooms inthe house, and that the basement contains 10 rooms, one of which isthe old wine cellar from when the house was a tavern. "In another room of the cellar is an eight foot bath tub made ofcement which was constructed for the comfort of Allen Wright, thetavern keeper, who was more than six feet tall and weighed 300pounds." Dibble provides some additional descriptions. "It is difficult forus to picture in our minds the huge droves of cattle which at onetime were transported on their hoofs through this area. Of course,the cattle and the drovers must stop for rest and refreshment alongtheir route .. The Holland Land Company usually granted aninn-keeper a large lot for an inn in order to provide plenty ofroom for settlers moving to new homes for their cows, sheep andhogs, and drovers taking livestock to market...". We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Dell Laptop AC Power Adapter , Sony AC Power Adaptor Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Sony AC Power Adaptor.
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