By Jon Landers

Thurston Hotel c1910

Today, there is a Thurston’s Restaurant and Bowling Alley in Frankfort, NY and a little research revealed this establishment has a very interesting history.  The restaurant was originally a three story hotel that dates back to the 1850’s.  A serious fire destroyed the second and third floor of the building in the 1960’s.  After the calamity, only the first floor was refurbished.   

According to a newspaper article that appeared in the January 22, 1926 issue of The Otsego Farmer, Cooperstown, NY, the saga of this historic hotel goes back to 1854. For the 1926 article, a newspaper reporter interviewed an old-timer from Frankfort who told some interesting tales; some of which I shall try to briefly detail in the following paragraphs. 

The narrator commented that in 1854 the County Fair used to be held in Frankfort and a man named Ike Piper ran the hotel and retailed whiskey at 3 cents for a half pint glass.  At a later date the hotel was owned by an Edward Adams who manufactured “small beer, now called root beer that was sold throughout the Mohawk Valley in quart jugs.”  This makes one wonder if the jugs were actually vessels with handles or if they were what, today we refer to as stoneware bottles.  Also, did Adams have his name incised on the jugs?  Wish we could see one!

Aqua ½ pint Whiskey flask embossed: HOTEL THURSTON/FRANK THURSTON PROP. FRANKFORT, N.Y.

Then in 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War a Mr Alumnum Hensler owned the hotel which was at that time called the Mansion House.  Hensler was a patriotic chap and enlisted in the Army as a Captain.  He became a recruiting officer and was authorized to recruit area men to serve in an artillery company.   He used the ball room on the top floor of his hotel for his headquarters and training facility. 

After training, Hensler and the recruits went into battle and unfortunately, Captain Hensler was killed in action.  After Hensler’s death his widow used the building as her home until 1890 when she sold the structure to John Dowd.  Dowd a successful real estate agent from the Utica area converted the building back into a hotel and named it the Cottage Hotel.  In 1902, after conducting his business for some years Dowd sold it to Frank A. Thurston for $3,500.

In 1903, Frank Thurston completely remodeled the hotel, including the third story which was not previously used and renamed it the Thurston Hotel.  The hotel could accommodate 40 boarders and had a dining area that could seat 100 people.  There was also a livery stable and garage attached to the property.  This era was probably about the time the ½ pint Hotel Thurston flask was made; although Thurston was the proprietor of the hotel until 1922.   After selling his hotel, Thurston went into the feed business. 

The next owner was a man named P. F. Welicka who came from Amsterdam, NY and paid $11,500 for the hotel but only ran it for three years.  In 1925, Welicka sold his business for a sum said to have been $23,000 which yielded him a handsome profit. 

During Prohibition, one of the most colorful events in the hotel’s history occurred on October 7, 1931 and the following day the Utica Observer Dispatch ran a story with headlines that read: “MOB ATTACKS PROHIBITION AGENTS – Troopers called out to protect Officer; Automobile Damaged.”  According to the story, agents went to the Thurston Hotel and purchased alleged alcoholic beverages and then arrested Mrs Vincent Stokes who was the proprietor of the establishment.  

When the agents were searching a frame building behind the hotel, a large crowd of about 100 people gathered and became unruly.  A couple hundred pint bottles of home brew and eleven gallons of wine were found in the building.  The group, part of which came into the building being searched, crowded the agents to the point where they couldn’t smash the bottles of alcoholic beverages.  Other people in the group threw stones and smashed the windows in the agent’s car, while others let the air out of the tires.  The overwhelmed agents had to make a call to the State Troopers to rescue them.

There were several owners during the last 35 years of the hotels’ existence.  The hotel and restaurant was often advertised in the local papers and was a popular location for all kinds of large events. 

On November 22, 1963, the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a fire destroyed the two top floors of the Thurston Hotel.  The Thurston Hotel fire drew very little attention because the media were focused on the President’s assassination.  The owners decided to only redo the first floor of the building and a bowling alley was added.  

Consequently, the appearance of this majestic structure that was more than 100 years old was changed forever.  Despite the tragedy, the Thurston Restaurant and Bowling Alley lives on; along with some of the folktales associated with it.  In addition, at least one old whiskey flask bearing the name of the Hotel Thurston still exists. 

Editor’s Note: Most of the above information came from newspaper articles I found on the website www.fultonhistory.com and the current owner Alicia.