Welch's Coffee House,
Afterwards Cook's Coffee house, Then COOK & Sons' Coffee House,
AfterwardsVanderbilt HoUSE
Text Source: Memorial History of Syracuse, N.Y.,
Edited by Dwight H. Bruce, D. Mason & Co., Publishers, Syracuse,
1891, pg. 681
The Vanderbilt House was built in 1867 by John L. Cook & Son, who opened it in 1868, and kept it for ten or twelve years, when Oliver E. Allen became the proprietor. He was succeeded two or three years later by P. B. Brayton, who sold to G. W. Day; and he to George W. Taylor. In the spring of 1891 Mr. Taylor disposed of his interest to J. H. Fife, of New York city, the present proprietor. In compliment to its name Commodore Vanderbilt presented this house with an excellent oil painting of himself, which has been admired by thousands of guests. During their bridal trip the Commodore and his second wife spent a night here. The hotel justly enjoys the reputation of being first-class in all respects. In 1879 Daniel Candee, Horace Candee, and the estate of Earll B. Alvord bought and still own this valuable property.
Text Source: Onondaga's Centennial, by Dwight H. Bruce (ed.), Boston History Co., 1896, Vol. I, pg. 426.
Col. Elijah Phillips lived in a house built about 1824 by Jonas Mann on the Vanderbilt House corner, which became the Cook's Coffee House.
Text Source: Early Landmarks of Syracuse, by Gurney S. Strong, City Editor of The Sunday Times, The Times Publishing Company, Syracuse, NY, 1894, pp. 30-41
The coffee house which formerly stood on the corner of Washington and Warren streets, where the Vanderbilt House now stands, was a very famous eating house in its day, being favorably known throughout the entire State and exceedingly popular with the people who then resided in Syracuse. The erection of the building, as a two-story wooden dwelling house, was begun in 1824 by Gen. Jonas Mann, who moved in his family the next season and during the summer finished the work. After a couple of years the house was occupied by Col. Elijah Phillips, who was for many years agent of the great line of stages of Thorpe & Sprague from Albany to Buffalo. The wife of Col. Phillips was the daughter of Asa Danforth, jr., the first white child born in Onondaga county and the mother of Mrs. Peter Outwater, who was the mother-in-law of Andrew D. White, Ex-President of Cornell University.
In later years the place was rented by Andrew Leinhart as a German tavern and boarding house. The place was afterwards run as a saloon by a German named Seigle. The bar was made very attractive by means of mirrors and bird cages. And among the many birds there was an old and wicked parrot, well informed in bar-room etiquette, who would call in the most deliberate manner for the different kinds of drinks. The place was fitted up in a better style than was usual for those days, and it was a popular place of resort, especially among the Germans. But that which distinguished it most was in being the scene of one of the greatest riots that ever occurred in the village of Syracuse.
On the night of the first of January, 1844, while a New York's ball was in progress in that house, several roughs from Salt Point, as Salina was then called, entered the bar room. William Blake, who had been celebrating the day beyond his powers of endurance, smashed his glass on the bar. This was in accordance with a prearranged plan, for the Salt Pointers were on mischief bent. A war of words ensued with the woman who was dispensing the drinks. The woman, against whom some insulting remark had been made, called for assistance. Her husband, Mr. Siegle, thereupon promptly shot, but did not kill Blake. Then the fight became terrific, for in those days the boys, especially the Salt Pointers, were fighters. Several of the participants were shot. It was fortunate that Captain Timothy H. Teall's cadets, whose quarters were in the Granger Block, directly opposite, had just returned from their drill. Lieutenant William B. Olmsted called together the departing members of the Syracuse Cadets, and, surrounding the house, captured Siegle and several others and marched their prisoners to the old jail. When the cadets had departed the mob ransacked the house and made a bonfire of all of the furniture. The cadets returned in time to save the building from being burned. The prisoners were tried the next day before Major William A. Cook, Justice of the Peace, and they were acquitted. Several of those who attacked the house were put under bonds to keep the peace. The German landlord, besides having his furniture totally demolished, mourned the loss of $300, which had been stolen from him. And after that he had no peace. He retired early every night, locked himself securely in, and stationed a guard at his door. He was glad to sell out his business the following April to Eliphalet Welch; and then he departed for Milwaukee.
Mr. Welch had formerly been associated with George Babcock, his nephew, in conducting a temperance restaurant, called the Syracuse Lunch, in the basement of the wooden building which was located where the Onondaga County Savings Bank building is now. Mr. Babcock had purchased that lunching place from Elisha Ford, June 20, 1839; and considerable money had been made there, the trade coming mostly from the Erie canal packet boats which landed near by. It was thought at that time that Mr. Welch had made a great mistake in moving to the corner of Warren and Railroad streets, as that location was considered too far removed from the centre of trade. But Mr. Welch enlarged and improved the building and made it a very desirable resort for ladies and gentlemen. Welch's Coffee House, as the place was called, soon acquired an excellent reputation, and it was as well known throughout the country as an eating house as was the old Syracuse House, which had a national reputation. In those days the depot stood in the centre of the street between Salina and Warren streets.
Mr. Welch was given a key to the door on the eastern side of the depot, in consideration of his allowing an extra track, which passed from a switch at Salina street around the south side of the depot, to be placed in front of his coffee house, there joining the main track. In this way he was enabled to secure some of the passengers for his eating house.
Much of the success of Welch's coffee house was due to Mrs. Welch, who was an excellent pastry cook, and to George Babcock, who was an excellent manager. But, on account of his wife's failing health, Mr. Welch sold out his business, April 1, 1851, to John L. Cook and Emilus Gay, and retired to his farm of thirteen acres, located about where Cortland avenue enters South Salina street. He died September 10, 1874, at the age of 78, and is remembered for his gentlemanly manners and his kindhearted, generous disposition. His surviving children are Mrs. Laurence W. Myers and Mrs. George H. Hosmer. Elisha Ford, aged 85 years, and George Babcock, aged 80 years, are still living. Cook & Gay continued the place for one year, and then Mr. Babcock bought out Mr. Gay's interest, the firm continuing as Cook & Babcock for three years. During that time the business was so prosperous that the firm made a yearly net profit of $7,000 above living expenses. Mr. Babcock then sold out his interest to Mr. Cook, who took into partnership his sons, John L., jr., and Austin D., the place being then known as Cook & Sons' Coffee House.
There is not a resident of this city, who lived here a quarter of a century ago, who does not entertain pleasant recollections of Cook's Coffee House. It was, indeed, a famous eating house. So popular had the place become, that the little two-story wooden building became altogether too small for the many customers, and an additional building was added on Railroad street, which was reserved exclusively for ladies, and an extension was made on Warren street for the kitchen. . There was also a large open shed built on Warren street to accommodate the horses of the farmers. The main entrance was on Railroad street, with a side entrance on Warren street. The front part of the room was reserved as a meeting place; and here could be found, during some parts of the day, every professional and business man in the city. Then came the bar, which extended across the room, parallel with Railroad street. Beyond that was the dining room. A large table, extending east and west, was surrounded by small tables, with two small private rooms on the Warren street side. At noon time the table was spread with an excellent twenty-five cent dinner, each plate being ready for the customer, and provided with a capital repast, kept warm by means of heaters, placed upon the table. It was not an unusual occurrence for a customer to wait for a seat to become vacant.
In those happy days, when a man could obtain a glass of Hersey's whiskey, which was made in Cazenovia and which was celebrated throughout the country, for three cents, and a pure Havana cigar for three cents, it was customary for each customer upon paying for his dinner, to receive a cigar. And in those good old times the stores did not close till nine or ten o'clock. It was customary during the evenings for the merchants and their clerks, the lawyers and other professional men, to meet at Cook's Coffee House for a light repast, a social glass and a fragrant cigar. Mrs. Cook, who is still living, was celebrated for her pastry, especially her lemon pie, which sold for three cents. The fashionable ladies of the city frequently took their meals in the room reserved for them. Mr. Cook, an English gentleman of the old school, greeted the guests with a happy remark or a pleasant exchange of witticism, and did much by his courteous manners to make his eating house popular, though his success depended largely upon the excellent management of his wife. Among the regular customers was "Counselor" Orcutt, an attorney who enjoyed the reputation of being an eccentric character. Promptly at nine o'clock, every evening, just as the clock was striking the house, the door would open and the Counselor would enter the room. He was always dressed in an old-fashioned blue coat with brass buttons, a ruffled shirt, a blue pair of pantaloons, gaitors about his shoes and a silk hat. The bartender would place a glass of beer upon the counter; and "Counselor" Orcutt, with his crooked iron cane hanging from his left arm, the glass of beer in one hand and a stub of a cigar in the other, would walk up and down the room, always ready for an argument, which he sustained with some ability as he was well read, and never leaving the place till all the other customers had departed.
In 1867 the old building was removed to its present location, the northwestern corner of Montgomery and Jackson streets. It was purchased by Isaac Manheimer and used as a grocery; and it is now occupied by his son-in-law, Moses Lichtenberg, as a grocery. It was succeeded by a larger building, which completely covered the former site. Mr. Cook named his hotel The Vanderbilt in honor of Commodore Vanderbilt, in order to give it the advantage of a world renowned name and thus add popularity to his hotel. The Commodore was so well pleased with this honor that he sent Mr. Cook a fine engraving of himself, and the picture still hangs in the office of the hotel. The Vanderbilt House was opened March 18, 1868, Cook & Sons being the proprietors. It was the first hotel in the city to be furnished with parlor mantles and grate fires. Charles Dickens was the first guest. When he came to Syracuse March 9, 1868, to give his readings of "The Christmas Carol" and the Bardell-Pickwick trial, at the Wieting Hall, he was allowed to take the corner room directly over the parlor in order that he might have a grate fire in his room, even though the hotel was not ready for its guests. When Cornelius Vanderbilt, or Commodore as he was generally called, was married Saturday morning, August 21, 1869, at London, Canada - Miss Frank Crawford being the favored lady - he stayed at the hotel which had been named after him. The Commodore was then 73 years old, and that was his second marriage. The bridal party reached Syracuse Saturday evening, the special car stopping in front of the hotel. The Commodore and his wife hastened to their apartments, where they remained during their stay, their meals being there served to them. But the waiters had cause to remember the short stay, which ended Sunday morning, as the venerable railroad king left fifty dollars to be scattered among them.
Mr. Cook sold his hotel in 1879 to Daniel Candee, Horace Candee and Earll B. Alvord. The place has since been run as the Vanderbilt, and it is now one of the leading hotels in the city. Mr. Cook died November 4, 1890, at the age of 83. He was survived by his sons John L., jr., Austin D. and Major Abel G. and his daughter, Mrs. Lyman B. Dickinson. his daughter Mary Jane, who married Marsh C. Pierce, died some years previous. His son Austin died in March, 1891. Mr. Cook was a prominent man in his day. He was the Democratic Alderman from the Sixth Ward in 1858 and one of the original committee by whom Oakwood cemetery was bought and laid out in 1859. He was also elected Assessor.
In the old Cook Coffee House there were several fine paintings by Sanford Thayer, a local artist of widely recognized ability, who painted many valuable pictures. But there was one picture which used to hang in that famous eating house, and which now hangs in the bar room of the Vanderbilt, that can recall many pleasant recollections to the threatre goers of thirty or forty years ago. A card on the picture reads thus: "Compliments of R. W. Jones. This picture hung on the wall in the old Welch Coffee House on this site, about forty years ago." The picture represents two women in their stage costume for "Asmodeus, or the Little Devil's Share." As there was some resemblance in the face and hands especially, and also in the form, of the shorter of the two figures to Susan Denin, the picture passed as a likeness of the Denin sisters, Susan and Kate. But the picture was not a likeness. These Denin sisters were the reigning actresses in those days, and they became famous in starring throughout the United States. They were great favorites in Syracuse, especially with the "Salt Pointers," as the residents of Salina were called; and they were always given an especially enthusiastic reception whenever they appeared in the National Theatre, which was formerly the First Baptist church, and which is now the site of the Universalist church. They will be remembered as appearing in their great play, Jack Sheppard, as well as Asmodeus, Romeo and Juliet, in which Susan appeared as Romeo and Kate as Juliet, and also in Grandmother's Pet.
The Denin sisters were fine actresses, singers and dancers, and they were blessed with elegant figures, which made their presence very attractive. Susan was an usually beautiful woman in face and figure. She was the shorter of the two. She married Fletcher Woodward, son of Arnold Woodward, a former prominent dry goods merchant in this city. The marriage was not a happy one, as Woodward was of a jealous disposition. Susan made large sums of money on the stage, but Fletcher was improvident. While returning from California by steamer, Fletcher is believed to have shot an actor of whom he was jealous. Susan nursed the actor, who died a few months afterwards in New York; but as no one was found who would swear against Fletcher, the murderer was never found. Susan was afterwards divorced from her husband. When she next appeared at the National Theatre, Fletcher and some of his friends attempted to hiss her from the stage. But there were a number of Salt Pointers in the theatre, and they notified him that if the hissing continued they would throw him and his friends out the building. It is needless to add that the hissing ceased, for the Salt Pointers were famous for their fighting propensities. Susan thanked her admirers for their kind protection. She is remembered as having resided in this city in the Woodward homestead, on the southeasterly corner of Railroad and Clinton streets, and she was a welcomed guest in social circles. Susan afterwards married Captain Frank Barroll. Her daughter is now living in Portland, Oregon, a lovely woman and the mother of five children. Susan died in 1875 and is buried in Indianapolis, Ind. The picture was purchased by Richard W. Jones from Mr. Cook; and it formerly hung on the walls of the Citizens' Club, of which Mr. Jones has been President for some years. About a year ago Mr. Jones gave the celebrated picture to the Vanderbuilt House.
Text Source: Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County New York, by The Rev. William M. Beauchamp, S.T.D., 1908, pp. 567-568.
The Vanderbilt House was built in 1867 by John L. Cook & Son, who opened it in 1868, and kept it for ten or twelve years, when Oliver E. Allen became the proprietor. He was succeeded two or three years later by P. B. Brayton, who sold to G. W. Day; and he to George W. Taylor. In the spring of 1891 Mr. Taylor disposed of his interest to J. H. Fife, of New York city, the present proprietor. In compliment to its name Commodore Vanderbilt presented this house with an excellent oil painting of himself, which has been admired by thousands of guests. During their bridal trip the Commodore and his second wife spent a night here. The hotel justly enjoys the reputation of being first-class in all respects. In 1879 Daniel Candee, Horace Candee, and the estate of Earll B. Alvord bought and still own this valuable property.
Text Source: Onondaga's Centennial, by Dwight H. Bruce (ed.), Boston History Co., 1896, Vol. I, pg. 426.
Col. Elijah Phillips lived in a house built about 1824 by Jonas Mann on the Vanderbilt House corner, which became the Cook's Coffee House.
Text Source: Early Landmarks of Syracuse, by Gurney S. Strong, City Editor of The Sunday Times, The Times Publishing Company, Syracuse, NY, 1894, pp. 30-41
A FAMOUS COFFEE HOUSE
The coffee house which formerly stood on the corner of Washington and Warren streets, where the Vanderbilt House now stands, was a very famous eating house in its day, being favorably known throughout the entire State and exceedingly popular with the people who then resided in Syracuse. The erection of the building, as a two-story wooden dwelling house, was begun in 1824 by Gen. Jonas Mann, who moved in his family the next season and during the summer finished the work. After a couple of years the house was occupied by Col. Elijah Phillips, who was for many years agent of the great line of stages of Thorpe & Sprague from Albany to Buffalo. The wife of Col. Phillips was the daughter of Asa Danforth, jr., the first white child born in Onondaga county and the mother of Mrs. Peter Outwater, who was the mother-in-law of Andrew D. White, Ex-President of Cornell University.
In later years the place was rented by Andrew Leinhart as a German tavern and boarding house. The place was afterwards run as a saloon by a German named Seigle. The bar was made very attractive by means of mirrors and bird cages. And among the many birds there was an old and wicked parrot, well informed in bar-room etiquette, who would call in the most deliberate manner for the different kinds of drinks. The place was fitted up in a better style than was usual for those days, and it was a popular place of resort, especially among the Germans. But that which distinguished it most was in being the scene of one of the greatest riots that ever occurred in the village of Syracuse.
On the night of the first of January, 1844, while a New York's ball was in progress in that house, several roughs from Salt Point, as Salina was then called, entered the bar room. William Blake, who had been celebrating the day beyond his powers of endurance, smashed his glass on the bar. This was in accordance with a prearranged plan, for the Salt Pointers were on mischief bent. A war of words ensued with the woman who was dispensing the drinks. The woman, against whom some insulting remark had been made, called for assistance. Her husband, Mr. Siegle, thereupon promptly shot, but did not kill Blake. Then the fight became terrific, for in those days the boys, especially the Salt Pointers, were fighters. Several of the participants were shot. It was fortunate that Captain Timothy H. Teall's cadets, whose quarters were in the Granger Block, directly opposite, had just returned from their drill. Lieutenant William B. Olmsted called together the departing members of the Syracuse Cadets, and, surrounding the house, captured Siegle and several others and marched their prisoners to the old jail. When the cadets had departed the mob ransacked the house and made a bonfire of all of the furniture. The cadets returned in time to save the building from being burned. The prisoners were tried the next day before Major William A. Cook, Justice of the Peace, and they were acquitted. Several of those who attacked the house were put under bonds to keep the peace. The German landlord, besides having his furniture totally demolished, mourned the loss of $300, which had been stolen from him. And after that he had no peace. He retired early every night, locked himself securely in, and stationed a guard at his door. He was glad to sell out his business the following April to Eliphalet Welch; and then he departed for Milwaukee.
Mr. Welch had formerly been associated with George Babcock, his nephew, in conducting a temperance restaurant, called the Syracuse Lunch, in the basement of the wooden building which was located where the Onondaga County Savings Bank building is now. Mr. Babcock had purchased that lunching place from Elisha Ford, June 20, 1839; and considerable money had been made there, the trade coming mostly from the Erie canal packet boats which landed near by. It was thought at that time that Mr. Welch had made a great mistake in moving to the corner of Warren and Railroad streets, as that location was considered too far removed from the centre of trade. But Mr. Welch enlarged and improved the building and made it a very desirable resort for ladies and gentlemen. Welch's Coffee House, as the place was called, soon acquired an excellent reputation, and it was as well known throughout the country as an eating house as was the old Syracuse House, which had a national reputation. In those days the depot stood in the centre of the street between Salina and Warren streets.
Mr. Welch was given a key to the door on the eastern side of the depot, in consideration of his allowing an extra track, which passed from a switch at Salina street around the south side of the depot, to be placed in front of his coffee house, there joining the main track. In this way he was enabled to secure some of the passengers for his eating house.
Much of the success of Welch's coffee house was due to Mrs. Welch, who was an excellent pastry cook, and to George Babcock, who was an excellent manager. But, on account of his wife's failing health, Mr. Welch sold out his business, April 1, 1851, to John L. Cook and Emilus Gay, and retired to his farm of thirteen acres, located about where Cortland avenue enters South Salina street. He died September 10, 1874, at the age of 78, and is remembered for his gentlemanly manners and his kindhearted, generous disposition. His surviving children are Mrs. Laurence W. Myers and Mrs. George H. Hosmer. Elisha Ford, aged 85 years, and George Babcock, aged 80 years, are still living. Cook & Gay continued the place for one year, and then Mr. Babcock bought out Mr. Gay's interest, the firm continuing as Cook & Babcock for three years. During that time the business was so prosperous that the firm made a yearly net profit of $7,000 above living expenses. Mr. Babcock then sold out his interest to Mr. Cook, who took into partnership his sons, John L., jr., and Austin D., the place being then known as Cook & Sons' Coffee House.
There is not a resident of this city, who lived here a quarter of a century ago, who does not entertain pleasant recollections of Cook's Coffee House. It was, indeed, a famous eating house. So popular had the place become, that the little two-story wooden building became altogether too small for the many customers, and an additional building was added on Railroad street, which was reserved exclusively for ladies, and an extension was made on Warren street for the kitchen. . There was also a large open shed built on Warren street to accommodate the horses of the farmers. The main entrance was on Railroad street, with a side entrance on Warren street. The front part of the room was reserved as a meeting place; and here could be found, during some parts of the day, every professional and business man in the city. Then came the bar, which extended across the room, parallel with Railroad street. Beyond that was the dining room. A large table, extending east and west, was surrounded by small tables, with two small private rooms on the Warren street side. At noon time the table was spread with an excellent twenty-five cent dinner, each plate being ready for the customer, and provided with a capital repast, kept warm by means of heaters, placed upon the table. It was not an unusual occurrence for a customer to wait for a seat to become vacant.
In those happy days, when a man could obtain a glass of Hersey's whiskey, which was made in Cazenovia and which was celebrated throughout the country, for three cents, and a pure Havana cigar for three cents, it was customary for each customer upon paying for his dinner, to receive a cigar. And in those good old times the stores did not close till nine or ten o'clock. It was customary during the evenings for the merchants and their clerks, the lawyers and other professional men, to meet at Cook's Coffee House for a light repast, a social glass and a fragrant cigar. Mrs. Cook, who is still living, was celebrated for her pastry, especially her lemon pie, which sold for three cents. The fashionable ladies of the city frequently took their meals in the room reserved for them. Mr. Cook, an English gentleman of the old school, greeted the guests with a happy remark or a pleasant exchange of witticism, and did much by his courteous manners to make his eating house popular, though his success depended largely upon the excellent management of his wife. Among the regular customers was "Counselor" Orcutt, an attorney who enjoyed the reputation of being an eccentric character. Promptly at nine o'clock, every evening, just as the clock was striking the house, the door would open and the Counselor would enter the room. He was always dressed in an old-fashioned blue coat with brass buttons, a ruffled shirt, a blue pair of pantaloons, gaitors about his shoes and a silk hat. The bartender would place a glass of beer upon the counter; and "Counselor" Orcutt, with his crooked iron cane hanging from his left arm, the glass of beer in one hand and a stub of a cigar in the other, would walk up and down the room, always ready for an argument, which he sustained with some ability as he was well read, and never leaving the place till all the other customers had departed.
In 1867 the old building was removed to its present location, the northwestern corner of Montgomery and Jackson streets. It was purchased by Isaac Manheimer and used as a grocery; and it is now occupied by his son-in-law, Moses Lichtenberg, as a grocery. It was succeeded by a larger building, which completely covered the former site. Mr. Cook named his hotel The Vanderbilt in honor of Commodore Vanderbilt, in order to give it the advantage of a world renowned name and thus add popularity to his hotel. The Commodore was so well pleased with this honor that he sent Mr. Cook a fine engraving of himself, and the picture still hangs in the office of the hotel. The Vanderbilt House was opened March 18, 1868, Cook & Sons being the proprietors. It was the first hotel in the city to be furnished with parlor mantles and grate fires. Charles Dickens was the first guest. When he came to Syracuse March 9, 1868, to give his readings of "The Christmas Carol" and the Bardell-Pickwick trial, at the Wieting Hall, he was allowed to take the corner room directly over the parlor in order that he might have a grate fire in his room, even though the hotel was not ready for its guests. When Cornelius Vanderbilt, or Commodore as he was generally called, was married Saturday morning, August 21, 1869, at London, Canada - Miss Frank Crawford being the favored lady - he stayed at the hotel which had been named after him. The Commodore was then 73 years old, and that was his second marriage. The bridal party reached Syracuse Saturday evening, the special car stopping in front of the hotel. The Commodore and his wife hastened to their apartments, where they remained during their stay, their meals being there served to them. But the waiters had cause to remember the short stay, which ended Sunday morning, as the venerable railroad king left fifty dollars to be scattered among them.
Mr. Cook sold his hotel in 1879 to Daniel Candee, Horace Candee and Earll B. Alvord. The place has since been run as the Vanderbilt, and it is now one of the leading hotels in the city. Mr. Cook died November 4, 1890, at the age of 83. He was survived by his sons John L., jr., Austin D. and Major Abel G. and his daughter, Mrs. Lyman B. Dickinson. his daughter Mary Jane, who married Marsh C. Pierce, died some years previous. His son Austin died in March, 1891. Mr. Cook was a prominent man in his day. He was the Democratic Alderman from the Sixth Ward in 1858 and one of the original committee by whom Oakwood cemetery was bought and laid out in 1859. He was also elected Assessor.
In the old Cook Coffee House there were several fine paintings by Sanford Thayer, a local artist of widely recognized ability, who painted many valuable pictures. But there was one picture which used to hang in that famous eating house, and which now hangs in the bar room of the Vanderbilt, that can recall many pleasant recollections to the threatre goers of thirty or forty years ago. A card on the picture reads thus: "Compliments of R. W. Jones. This picture hung on the wall in the old Welch Coffee House on this site, about forty years ago." The picture represents two women in their stage costume for "Asmodeus, or the Little Devil's Share." As there was some resemblance in the face and hands especially, and also in the form, of the shorter of the two figures to Susan Denin, the picture passed as a likeness of the Denin sisters, Susan and Kate. But the picture was not a likeness. These Denin sisters were the reigning actresses in those days, and they became famous in starring throughout the United States. They were great favorites in Syracuse, especially with the "Salt Pointers," as the residents of Salina were called; and they were always given an especially enthusiastic reception whenever they appeared in the National Theatre, which was formerly the First Baptist church, and which is now the site of the Universalist church. They will be remembered as appearing in their great play, Jack Sheppard, as well as Asmodeus, Romeo and Juliet, in which Susan appeared as Romeo and Kate as Juliet, and also in Grandmother's Pet.
The Denin sisters were fine actresses, singers and dancers, and they were blessed with elegant figures, which made their presence very attractive. Susan was an usually beautiful woman in face and figure. She was the shorter of the two. She married Fletcher Woodward, son of Arnold Woodward, a former prominent dry goods merchant in this city. The marriage was not a happy one, as Woodward was of a jealous disposition. Susan made large sums of money on the stage, but Fletcher was improvident. While returning from California by steamer, Fletcher is believed to have shot an actor of whom he was jealous. Susan nursed the actor, who died a few months afterwards in New York; but as no one was found who would swear against Fletcher, the murderer was never found. Susan was afterwards divorced from her husband. When she next appeared at the National Theatre, Fletcher and some of his friends attempted to hiss her from the stage. But there were a number of Salt Pointers in the theatre, and they notified him that if the hissing continued they would throw him and his friends out the building. It is needless to add that the hissing ceased, for the Salt Pointers were famous for their fighting propensities. Susan thanked her admirers for their kind protection. She is remembered as having resided in this city in the Woodward homestead, on the southeasterly corner of Railroad and Clinton streets, and she was a welcomed guest in social circles. Susan afterwards married Captain Frank Barroll. Her daughter is now living in Portland, Oregon, a lovely woman and the mother of five children. Susan died in 1875 and is buried in Indianapolis, Ind. The picture was purchased by Richard W. Jones from Mr. Cook; and it formerly hung on the walls of the Citizens' Club, of which Mr. Jones has been President for some years. About a year ago Mr. Jones gave the celebrated picture to the Vanderbuilt House.
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Text Source: Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County New York, by The Rev. William M. Beauchamp, S.T.D., 1908, pp. 567-568.