Vidler's Wonderful History 

&

 Connection to Western New York

Vidler's

since

 1930

Then and Now

The World's Largest 5 & 10 Variety Store

East Aurora, New York

Vidler's:  Named Best Toy Store in the 716!

It all started in 1930, when Robert S. Vidler, Sr. founded and opened "The Fair Store" in the quaint and charming village of East Aurora at the start of The Great Depression.  Family legend has it that his mother-in-law complained of having to go all the way to Buffalo to buy a spool of thread so Robert soon saw the opportunity for a new, local business.  Today, picture a movie scene of shoppers strolling along, casually drinking coffee or eating dinner at the local restaurants.  That's the village of "EA" along Main Street.

The original store consisted of approximately 900 square feet with 2 aisles of goods.  Local merchants made bets that the store would close within 6 weeks.  Fisher Price Toys, also founded in 1930, opened in the block behind Vidler's later that year.  Vidler's was the first store to carry Fisher-Price.

It opened and operated as a local 5 & 10 several years.  We proudly doubled in size by 1946.  Vidler's was the place for locals to get their shoelaces, pots and pans and chat with neighbors for over 40 years when we expanded to include more novelty goods.  

Bob Vidler

Third Generation Co-Owner

Vidler's has been recognized in national publications including Business Week and Martha Stewart's Living magazine.  In 1999, it expanded to 4 connected buildings comprising almost 20,000 square feet.  Between 2015 and 2019, Vidler's and the surrounding village of East Aurora served as the location and backdrop of several made-for-TV Christmas movies including A Prince for Christmas (2015) which was filmed almost entirely in East Aurora. Even with such remarkable recognition, Vidler's remains a family run business operating on the same core values it was founded upon in 1930.

Don Vidler with Hallmark Actors, Jonathan Stoddard and Anna Marie Dobbins

February 2022

With the distinguishable charm of East Aurora, it is no surprise that Vidler's has been featured in Hallmark movies and through the years has become a popular spot to shoot holiday movies.  A movie titled "Romance on Ice" along with three other movies have filmed scenes inside or outside Vidler's since 2025: "A Christmas Vermont", "A Christmas Princess" and "A Royal Christmas Engagement". 

Christmas in East Aurora

A Hallmark Movie Film Crew Filming in East Aurora

A couple from northern Maine drove to East Aurora one summer to check out the charming village and variety store where Christmas movies were made.

Don Vidler

Third Generation Co-Owner

I really credit my father and uncle for putting Vidler's on the map for nostalgic and national draw. Back in the '50s, virtually every little town in the United States had a 5 & 10 store, whether it was the big chains like Woolworth's or stores like ours.  So, for a long time it was just local people coming in to get shoelaces or a frying pan.  In 1960, W.T. Grant's, which at one time was one of  the biggest variety chain stores in the country, came into East Aurora.  That really set us back, but they closed just two years later.  In the late '60s, we really started to highlight being the old-fashioned five-and-dime.  There was a local graphic artist in town named Rix Jennings who suggested playing up the old five-and-dime theme.  So, they redid the whole storefront.  Then, in the '70s, my father and my Uncle Bob started going after bus tours, trying to be more of a regional draw and that started to work pretty well.

Don Vidler

Vidler's has gotten the attention of news reporters to run stories about the business.  They added the large red and white awning, giving the storefront more curb appeal and its unique appearance.  The candy counter has an incredible selection of old-time favorites such as Mallo Cups, Sugar Daddies, Crystal Beach Suckers and many other favorites!  Candy is also available by the pound or by the penny like the good 'ol days. You can browse the retro & collectible section for wall art, figurines, tin mugs and more from classics like The Wizard of Oz.  The toy section is a favorite for every kid and kid-at-heart with classic favorites such as yo-yo's, puzzles, stuffed animals and toy cars.  Shop the wide selection of office supplies with crayons, markers, paper, coloring books and other Crayola favorites. Visit the seasonal section for candles, cards, gifts,  home decor and at the 'take a look nook' as you never know what you'll find.  Sandy, the mechanical horse is every child's favorite and still only costs a dime to ride!  Their classic popcorn machine gives kids a glimpse into the past filling up a brown paper bag for only a nickel.  

Some Call it Pop, Some Call it Soda!

When you take a trip to Vidler's, it's alway an instant nostalgic trip down memory lane.  From the moment you walk in you're faced with games from childhood, novelty items that will make you giggle and, of course, their variety of unique flavored sodas!

If there's one thing everyone remembers about their youth it's having the utmost courage to experiment with food just for fun.  Playing Truth or Dare was a grade school lunch time ritual and dares usually included crazy food concoctions.  

Vidler's carries a unusual variety of sodas for those looking to ignite their blind childish bravery yet again or just play a fun game of taste testing. Vidler's offers Always Avery's and Lester's Fixins sodas.  They are actually crafted to taste like your favorite food items such as Bacon, Buffalo Wing, Cucumber, Maple Syrup, Peanut Butter & Jelly and Pumpkin Pie. 

Liberty Bank of Buffalo and Vidler's "Good Partners" series of ads with spokesperson, Peter Graves.  

He walked through the store and talked about the old five-and-dime. It really got people's attention and brought in even more business! Those ads really put Vidler's on the map because more people from Buffalo, Rochester and Western New York decided .. "we want to go see the old 5 & 10".

Peter Graves

(1926-2010)

Graves was an American actor who portrayed Jim Phelps in the television series, Mission Impossible from 1967-1973.  His older brother was actor, James Arness who portrayed Marshall Matt Dillion for 20 years in the series, Gunsmoke. 

A lot of it is the history and the nostalgia.  Whenever we hire a new employee, they are told 90% of the people who come here are happy when they come in and we want them to leave happy.  They pick everything up and play with it.  Probably the parents have more fun than the kids.  They're putting on hula hoops, novelty hats and having sword fights with Styrofoam swords.  People concentrate on the fun stuff, but we have day-to-day necessities.  So they know they can get all the things they need plus all the fun stuff, too!

Don Vidler

Other than Tops Grocery Store, Vidler's is the largest retail employer in East Aurora!

www.vidlers5and10.com

 

James Buchanan Brady

"Diamond Jim"

1856-1917

James Buchanan Brady was an American businessman, financier and philanthropist of the Gilded Age.  He had penchant for diamonds, precious stones and jewelry plus a voracious appetite. There is a special cut of Prime Rib called the "Diamond Jim Brady Cut" which is an extra-thick portion, rib bone in.

"Diamond Jim" is known for his longtime relationship with actress and singer, Lillian Russell, born Helen Louise Leonard. It is said they would rendezvous at his home at 7 West 46th Street in Manhattan.

Lillian Russell

Circa 1898

1860-1922

Russell was an American actress and singer.  She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, praised for beauty and style, as well as her voice and stage presence.  She was born in Clinton, Iowa though was raised in Chicago.  Her parents separated when she was 18 and she moved to New York City with her mother.  She began to perform professionally by 1879.  For many years she was the foremost singer of operettas and musical theatre in the United States performing continously through the end of the 19th century.  Russell was married four times, but her longest relationship was with Diamond Jim Brady who supported her extravagant lifestyle for four decades.  Diamond Jim was a significant owner of thoroughbred racehorses and may have influenced her decision to become involved in the sport. In  August 1906, her press agent announced she had acquired eight colts sired by a New Zealand stallion named Carbine for her new thoroughbred racing stable .

For I Love Lucy fans .. Brady is mentioned in two episodes of I Love Lucy: "The Business Manager" (season 4, episode 1) ..  Ricky to Fred: "Mr. Hickox?  He makes you look like Diamond Jim Brady!"  I Love Lucy: "Lucy Gets a Paris Gown"  (season 5, episode 20) .. Ethel calls Fred "Diamond Jim Mertz" after he warns her not to buy a new dress.

Bookbinder's 

A Taste of History

215 South 15th Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

From the late 1800s to modern times, hungry locals and tourists made Old Original Bookbinder's Restaurant a required stop when navigating the City of Philadelphia.  The restaurant, located dockside on the Delaware River, originally grew out of the life of the seaport, itself, when Samuel Bookbinder opened his restaurant business.  

The location thrived with the ingredients close at hand, including a river teeming with  schooners docked at the port with their cargo of spices.  The Chesapeake Bay offered its bounty of oysters, crabs and clams while fresh produce arrived daily from the fields and dairies surrounding Philadelphia.

Each noontime, Samuel's wife, Sarah would ring the restaurant's bell announcing the principal meal of the day.  Dockworkers rubbed elbows with sea captains, prosperous merchants and farmers all dining together to enjoy what was becoming a new tradition of seafood at Bookbinder's. 

The bustling little restaurant was passed to the Bookbinder children and stayed in the family until the depression era when it was acquired by John Taxin, a dynamic man, in 1935. His energy, personal magnetism and business savvy built the enormous success that Old Original Bookbinder's is today.  Taxin's daughter and grandson carried on the tradition of fine food and service, earning Bookbinder's the distinction as one of America's oldest continuous seafood restaurants.

The section of Old Philadelphia surrounding Bookbinder's Restaurant had charming cobblestone streets and restored colonial brick homes.  Visitors and celebrities touring the city regularly stopped at Old Original Bookbinder's to enjoy its legendary seafood.  When you dined at the restaurant there was a chance you'd be served at a table once occupied by Diamond Jim Brady, Babe Ruth, Tennessee Williams, Teddy Roosevelt, Al Jolson, Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher or Frank Sinatra.

The restaurant was rich with history.  The cobblestones at the Raw Bar were the original cobblestones from Walnut Street, worn down by the feet of the Continental and British armies.  The ship's wheel at the entrance was salvaged from a molasses schooner that met its fate on the high seas at the turn of the century.  Sarah's bell, although silent, remained standing inside the entranceway as a tribute to the uninterrupted tradition of great dining.

TODAY

Bookbinder's lives on, today, in Richmond's Tobacco Row in the beautiful American Cigar Building, circa 1901.  The Taxin family continues to own and operate it and is there daily to greet every guest.  They look forward to seeing you when in the Richmond, VA area!

2306 E. Cary Street

Richmond, Virginia 

(804) 643-6900

 

Richard Wagstaff Clark

(1929-2012)

Dick Clark was an American television, radio personality and television producer who hosted American Bandstand from 1952-1989.  He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid game show from 1973-1988 and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve which broadcast New Year's Eve celebrations in New York City's famous Times Square.

As host of American Bandstand, Clark introduced rock and roll to many Americans.  The show gave many new music artists their first exposure to national audiences including The Supremes, Ike and Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder,  Simon & Garfunkel, Prince, Madonna and many more.  Singer, Paul Anka claimed American Bandstand was responsible for creating a "youth culture".  Due to Clark's perennially youthful appearance and his largely teenaged audience, Clark was often referred to as "America's oldest teenager" or "the world's oldest teenager". 

In his off-stage roles, Clark served as chief executive officer of Dick Clark Productions.  He also founded the American Bandstand Diner, a restaurant chain themed after the television program of the same name.  In 1973, he created and produced the annual American Music Awards show, similar to the Grammy Awards.

Dick was always there for me and Motown, even before there was a Motown.  He  was an entrepreneur, a visionary and a major force in changing pop culture and ultimately influencing integration.

Berry Gordy,

Motown Founder

He presented Motown and The Supremes on tour with the Caravan of Stars and on American bandstand, where I got my start.

Diana Ross

American Bandstand was an American music-performance and dance television program that aired regularly on ABC.  The show featured teenagers dancing to Top 40 music introducd by Clark.  The program was televised from Philadelphia from its 1952 debut until its move to Los Angeles.

First called Bandstand, the program premiered October 6, 1952 and was hosted by Philadelphia radio DJ, Bob Horn.  It was shot live from Studio B at Forty-Sixth and Market Streets where the two-and-a-half-hour show was broadcast regionally on WFIL-TV Channel 6. 

Bandstand DJ, Bob Horn was host before the era of Dick Clark

Circa 1955

Pictured are the extremely popular American Bandstand couple ..

Bob Clayton and Justine Carrelli

American Bandstand 

Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock 'n' Roll Empire

by John A. Jackson

"I don't make culture, I sell it" Dick Clark once remarked.  Indeed, the man who reigned as host of American Bandstand for nearly four decades may not have invited rock 'n' roll, but he sold it to the American public better than anyone before or since!  Before Clark, rock 'n' roll was the step child of radio which took to playing records as a cost-saving measure after television siphoned off radios most lucrative sponsors.  It was network television and specifically Clark's American Bandstand that ultimately legitimized what was then viewed by most adults as vulgar, low-class music, broadcasting a sanitized vision of rock 'n' roll straight into America's living rooms, five afternoons a week.  This book is the first to tell the full story of what happened in front of, and behind, the cameras on American Bandstand providing both a history of this landmark show and of the changing styles of rock 'n' roll over four decades.  Based on extensive interviews with music business figures, recording stars and Clark himself plus featuring dozens of rare or never before published photographs, this is a riveting and uncensored account of a show that managed to survive countless revolutions in popular music.  

Jackson describes Bandstands humble beginnings in Philadelphia's blue collar south side and enabled Clark to launch his career, the glory days when an appearance on Bandstand was one of the most prized gigs in the music business and when teenagers lined up for blocks hoping to enter the studio.

As entertaining as it is eye-opening, Dick Clark's American Bandstand will bring back a flood of memories to everyone who lived through that era.  It will fascinate everyone interested in popular American culture or in rock 'n' history.

Dick Clark was voted .. Most Likely to Sell the Brooklyn Bridge .. by his hiigh school classmates. 

It was always fun to watch the kids dancing and rating the newest songs:  It's got a good beat and you can dance to it.  I'll give it an 87, Dick."

 

Vic Flick recording in London

Circa 1989

Victor Harold Flick (1937-2024) was an English studio guitarist, best known of playing the guitar riff* in the "James Bond Theme" recorded in 1962 for the iconic, film Dr. No.  This film was released in the United Kingdom on October 5, 1962 and in the United States on May 8, 1963. Flick continued to contribute to the James Bond soundtracks from the 1960s through the late 1980s.  One of Flick's guitars, A Clifford Essex Paragon de Luxe, on which he played the original "James Bond Theme" is displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.  

Flick first picked up a guitar in 1951.  He studied piano from the young age of seven until he was 14 when his father started a dance band.  He first electric guitar was a Hofner he bought with the money he earned from laying concrete floors during a summer break.  He was so proud of it with all its decorative inlay and built-in electronics.

Flick worked with many recording artists including Dusty Springfield (I Only Want to Be With You), Nancy Sinatra, Cliff Richard and Shirley Bassey among countless others.  He played his Vox 12 string guitar on the Peter and Gordon 1964 #1 record A World Without Love.  He is heard on all of  Tom Jones' early hits including It's Not Unusual and What's New Pussycat? and is the guitarist for the #1 hit song Downtown by Petula Clark.  He also recorded with Herman's Hermits playing the distinctive guitar riff in the intro and bridge of Silhouettes, a 1965 UK Top 5 hit.

Flick played on every Bond smash though Diamonds are Forver and even recorded with Eric Clapton on the 007 soundtrack, License to Kill.  You can further hear the guitarist in the film scores such as Midnight Cowboy and The Return of the Pink Panther.

Flick's career has not just been limited to visual mediums.  In the swingin' 60s, he recorded with a veritable who's who of pop royalty including Beatles producer, George Martin, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini and Motown Diva, Diana Ross.

Flick lived in Las Vegas, but the Surrey-born guitarist will always be remembered and associated with suave secret agents and Brit-pop hitmaking!  

*A guitar riff is a repeated sequence of notes or chords that gives a song structure and character.  Riffs are often catchy and can be found in many genres of music including rock, funk, jazz and Latin. Some characteristics of a guitar riff are as follows:  repeated, memorable, sets the tone and gives the song its voice. The term riff seems to go back in musicology to the Jazz era with the song, In the Mood.  This jazz standard was first recorded and released by Edgar Hayes and His Orchestra in 1938.  Later, a single by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was recorded and released.  For most these days the song, In the Mood is related to Glenn Miller.

Edgar Hayes and His Orchestra 

playing the iconic jazz favorite

In the Mood

RIP Big Flick

Job Well Done

 The White Inn

Fredonia, New York

The 24-room hotel known as the White Inn on the corner of White and Main Street was built in 1868 by Devillo White, second oldest son of Chautauqua County's first medical doctor, Dr. Squire White (1785-1857). He came to Fredonia then known as Canadaway in 1809.  For more than 100 years, the White Inn was a business in the Fredonia area. The pillared mansion served dinners, housed its guests and hosted its weddings for more than a century.  Many will remember the lighted sign which hung over Route 20 in the 1950s. 

The 25,000-square-foot building was constructed as a private residence in 1868 by members of the White family.  It became an inn in 1920 and remained an inn, going through various owners, until it closed in 2017. 

Fast forward to 2024 and on November 18 the White Inn opened its front doors for all to enjoy, once again, after being acquired and renovated by Steve St. George, owner of S. St. George Enterprises LLC and Devin Jones, a Chautauqua County restauranteur.  The $3.2 million project has restored the White Inn into a boutique hotel.   Brittany Ludemann and Morgan St. George were brought on as interior designers.  

A Menu from April 27, 1945

Inscribed with Fred Parker's love for his future wife, Shirley

Fred and Shirley's son, Bill Parker of Vernon, Connecticut contacted the OBSERVER about the menu, after noticing its stories about the White Inn's purchase and restoration.  Bill hopes the menu consisting of a regular bill of fare and a list of "specials" can be put on display in the Inn. 

My parents attended college in Fredonia during WWII.  This is where they met.  My dad was called into the Army and they stayed in touch all the time with letters.  During one leave from the Army my dad traveled back to Fredonia to see my mom.  On this occasion he proposed to her .. at the White Inn.

Bill Parker

The proposal was accepted and Fred wrote a love note on the back of the regular menu to mark the occasion.  He even scrawled out a poem, too.  The happy couple kept the menus as a momento. The menus have become a cherished piece of Parker family history offering a glimpse into what restaurants on the home front offered at the close of WWII.  

On the regular menu, chicken sandwiches were offered for 50 cents.  A bowl of soup was 15 cents.  Homemade pie, ice cream and sherbet were available for dessert.  There was no "pop" to drink.  Beverage choices were fruit juices, coffee, tea, milk chocolate or buttermilk for 10 cents. Southern fried chicken was the priciest item at $1.25.  Calves' liver served with onions was 85 cents.  Roast pork and applesauce was 85 cents. 

The goal of the White Inn project is to bring guests the modern amenities of a high-end stay, while preserving the old charm that the White Inn became known for over more than a century.

Jarrod Mills, Project Manager

We're trying to show the beauty of the White Inn to younger generations to help them appreciate it as one of the Fredonia staples. 

Morgan St. George

The new White Inn will not only feature 25 renovated guest rooms, it will feature a board room.  All rooms will be non-smoking with select rooms being pet friendly.

The rooms will have a tradtional style with a little bit of modern.

Brittany Ludemann

The major renovation project focused on local companies and workers to restore the historic building. Steve St. George pushed for local companies to be used whenever possible, with the majority of 30 companies and 150 workers being locally sourced.

This is our building in our community.  We want to use our community as much as we can.

Steve St. George

A sign will be constructed to highlight all of the companies that contributed to the restoration of the White Inn.

The venue is eyeing a gazebo on site to accommodate outdoor weddings while an all new seating area is being designed on the west end of the hotel for guests to enjoy on nice days.  Rocking chairs will be stationed on the porch, as well.  

We really want to be able to show the community that we're keeping this local.  We're really excited that all these local companies are willing to help us restore this building.

Brittany Ludeman 

 

 

Amphicar Logo

A Lagoon Blue Amphicar Model 770

This Amphicar, an amphibious automobile, was launched at the 1961 New York Auto Show.  It was made in West Germany and marketed from 1961 to 1968.  Production ceased in 1965 though sales continued until 1968.  From 1960-1965 there were 3,878 built and 3,046 imported into the United States between 1961 and 1967. The Amphicar was a 2-door cabriolet with boat features. The length was 171 inches.  The width was 62 inches.  The height was 60 inches and its curb weight was 2,324 LBS. The Amphicar was rear engined and used a 4 cylinder British-built Triumph Herald motor producing 43 HP.  All Amphicars were convertibles.  The Amphicar had a top speed of 7 MPH on water and 70 MPH on land.  Hence, it was dubbed the "Model 770".  The Amphicar moved in the water by its twin nylon propellers.  

Today, there are only approximately 600 Amphicars that still exist in the United States.  

President Lyndon B. Johnson driving his Amphicar.

Circa 1965

Designed by German engineer Hans Trippel who was already building amphibious vehicles for the German army during WWII. In 1959, he introduced the Eurocar, the first amphibious car intened for the public with a rear-mounted Austin A35 engine.  Production started two years later and the car was renamed the Amphicar.  The amphibious vehicle was manufactured by the Quandt Group.  The name Amphicar is a blend of words .. "ampibious" and "car".  The amphicar offered only modest performance compared to most contemporary boats or cars, navigation lights and flag as mandated by the U.S. Coast Guard.  

In 2014, the publication Petrolicious described the Amphicar as "good for one thing:  fun,  It's not quick or flashy, but it's iconic, unique and friendly.  What more could you ask from a vintage car?  The Amphicar might not make any sense and that's precisely why it's so wonderful."

The lowest recorded sale price was $33,250 for a 1967 Amphicar Model 770 on August 15, 2021. When new, the Amphicar sold between $2,800 and $3,300 depending on the year. Later model years actually sold for less than those of early years. Some 4,000 Amphicars were produced until 1967. No 1968 Amphicars were directly imported into the United States due to EPA and DOT regulations.  This caused a major financial disaster for the Amphicar Corporation since the United States represented about 90% of all Amphicar sales.  The Amphicar factory in Berlin closed for good in 1968 and the remaining inventory of unused parts was eventually purhased by Hugh Gordon of Sante Fe Springs, California.  Hugh's Gordon Imports remains the Amphicar owner's primary source of spare parts. 

According to the enthusiast website Amphicar.com the amphious car was also marketed as a specialty vehicle for emergency rescue services.  The Red Cross deployed a number of Amphicars to serve flood danger areas though as the decade came to a close, the novelty of the boat-car hybrid vessel began to wear off.  The car's confusing identity was a factor in sales.  While the water-riding vehicle enjoyed some degree of attention due to its dual function, the marketing for it was unclear.  Was it a car or was it actually a boat?  This muddled messaging may have cost Amphicar potential customers. 

The Amphicar was also a high-maintenance automobile.  After five hours in the water, the engine needed to be greased which could only be done by lifting the entire car and taking out the rear seat.  Exposure to saltwater made it vulnerable to corrosion, so it needed to be frequently cleaned thoroughly with fresh water.

Changing course in the water was accomplished by steering the front wheels, as on the road.  Needless to say, this was far from ideal.  It was neither an efficient boat nor a particularly good car.  The Amphicar was not very comfortable.  In spite of their poor sailing qualities, some Amphicars did cross the English Channel.  

The Amphicar was originally available in four colors:  Beach Sand White, Regatta Red, Lagoon Blue and Fjord Green.

Amphicar Model 770 in Regatta Red

 

The Riverside Inn Water Tower

A three-story structure with a hipped roof and hooded windows.

In 1859, John H. Gray discovered a spring while searching for petroleum in the village of Cambridge Springs, Pennyslvania.  The village was incorporated into the borough of Cambridgeboro in 1866.  Gray examined the water found in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1884 and concluded the water of his spring also had medicinal properties.  Gray formed the Gray's Mineral Fountain Company in August 1884 and financed the construction of a sanitorium.  The opening of the Riverside Inn was postponed to July 1, 1888 by construction delays, but was the first hotel built in Crawford county.  Disputes between partners in the company forced the hotel into receivership.  In 1895, the Riverside Inn was sold to William Baird.  Baird also purchased Gray's mineral spring for $60,000.  Cambridgeboro was renamed Cambridge Springs in 1897 to reflect the status of the borough as a spa town.  Baird built a boardwalk from the hotel to the spring in 1899.  Baird's son William Baird, Jr. took over management of the Riverside Hotel in 1910.  A golf course was added in 1913 and was expanded to have 18-holes in 1923.

The Hotel Rider was also located in the borough of Cambridge Springs, Crawford County in 1904.  At the turn of the 20th century, 80,000 visitors came to Cambridge Srpings each year to "take the waters" at the town's famed mineral springs.  Visitors had their choice of more than 40 accommodations, from simple rooming houses for the working classes to grand hotels for the well-heeled including actress, Lillian Russell and "Diamond" Jim Brady along with various members of the famous family by the name of Vanderbilt.  

When the Hotel Rider burned in 1935, The Riverside Inn was the only remaining hotel left from that era in the town's history.  In 1946, Colonel Frank W. Parke bought the entire Riverside Establishment from the Baird family.  He sold it in 1965. In 1988, the U.S. Chess Championship took place in Cambridge Springs at the Riverside Inn.

The Rider Hotel was constructed in 1895-1897 and opened in 1897 on 200 acres overlooking the town. The Rider was the "king of the hill" among several fine hotels in Cambridge Springs including the Riverside Inn and the Barlett.  The Rider had 500 rooms, each equipped with a telephone.  The hotel was later renamed the Vanadium and subsequently was sold to the Polish National Alliance in 1911 to house Alliance College. Unfortunately, the Rider Hotel burned on January 20, 1931.  Insufficient water pressure was a problem in fighting the fire, due to the hotel being located at the top of the hill.  The fire was so bright one could read a newspaper from blocks away!  Students saved their clothes and bedding, but priceless items from Poland perished in the flames.  Alliance College rebuilt its campus on the site and operated until the college closed in 1987.  Today, the buildings now house a State correctional facility for women.

Hotel Rider

Hotel Rider Ballroom

In 1895, William D. Rider, a prominent business man broke ground for the half million dollar hotel and resort known as Hotel Rider.  It opened on May 1, 1897 and was said to have been one of the finest hotels between New York City and Chicago.  It was the greatest single contribution toward making Cambridge Springs a major mineral springs spa. Standing seven stories high overlooking Cambridge Springs you could see at least 25 miles from the roof garden.  The grand lobby could accommodate 1,000 guests and according to an early account the hotel guests could "comfortably mingle".  The Hotel Rider had steam heat, wood-burning fireplaces, stenciled plaster walls and oak woodwork.  There were bowling alleys, billiard rooms, a barbershop, ballroom, theatre, indoor swimming pool and gyms for men and ladies.  Offices for the Postal Telegraph Co. and Bell Telephone Co. were in Hotel Rider.  In 1904, the hotel hosted an international chess tournament.  

The Riverside Inn

Cambridge Springs, PA

Until the tragic fire that destroyed the Riverside Inn in 2017, the historic inn was an iconic sight, greeting vistors to the town.

A dozen hotels once stood in Cambridge Springs, serving tourists who came daily by train to indulge in the town's mineral springs, widely known for their supposedly healing qualities.  One old mineral springs advertisement read .. "The water from these fountains are chemically pure, being entirely free from organic matter.  It cures Dyspepsia and all Stomach, Liver, Kidney and Bladder diseases ... and is invaluable for Insomnia, Indigestion, Torpid Liver and loss of appetite."  From another advertisement an English doctor was quoted .. "I find a remarkable apathy among American physicians who do not take the trouble to inform themselves as to the powers of these springs."

Cambridge Springs got its name from the local mineral springs which were a popular health craze near the end of the 19th century.

The Riverside Inn and its adjacent spring house were erected in the 1880s as this mineral water craze spread, but as the fad faded away in the first decades of the 20th century so did the concept of Cambridge Springs as a resort town.  Most of the other hotels were sold off or demolished.   As the decades passed, the Riverside Inn transformed along with its ownership, but unlike the others, it continued to operate.  By 1985, the Riverside was one of the few remaining relics of Cambridge Spring's resort town past.  That same year, Michael and Marie Halliday purchased the Riverside Inn and began the arduous process of room-to-room restoration.  They reconstructed the Riverside Inn once again into a cornerstone of the community, returning it to its glory as a popular tourist destination which was a hub for weddings and parties, meals and drinks, music and the Riverside Inn Dinner Theatre plus reunions among old friends.

The Riverside Inn also featured a dinner theatre and the Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places December 13, 1978.  The inn was a three-story structure with 74 guest rooms and set on 7.5 acres along the banks of French Creek.

In the summer of 1990, a young man by the name of Jeremy Ball began working at the Riverside Inn which was a rite of passage among Cambridge Springs youth.  Like many newly hired teenagers, he started out washing dishes.  

When I first started, I was mostly dish room, but then Mrs. Halliday always felt bad that my glasses would fog up in there and after a couple of months I had been promoted to busboy.

Jeremy Ball

From there, Jeremy was again promoted to help run the Canterbury Feast at the Inn and oversee the buffet line .. essentially becoming royalty among high school employees at the inn.  He, then, moved onto serving tables when he turned eighteen.  These experiences at the Riverside Inn led Jeremy to pursue a degree in Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management at Penn State University.  While doing so, he traveled back home every other weekend to continue working at the Riverside Inn.  After graduating in 1997, he managed the American Ale House & Grill in State College, PA for nearly five years before an implusive summer trip to Philadelphia led to his relocation.  He spent the next decade managing numerous high-end restaurants throughout Philly before deciding to move back home in 2014.  

Jeremy was ready to move back to the country and be closer to family.  He  was initially nervous trying to find something that would be challenging in this market.  Then, Marie Halliday found out he had returned home and soon called him and said .. "we need to talk".  Halliday offered  Jeremy the position of General Manager and after so many years, Jeremy was back to where it all  began, the place that had instilled in him a passion for the hospitality business.  Over the next several years, the Riverside continued to flourish under Jeremy's leadership. 

Having the opportunity to run the hotel that I started working at as a kid, the trust and faith the Hallidays put in me and being trusted with such a monumental operation of a 130-year-old hotel was the most amazing opportunity I had ever experienced.

Jeremy Ball

The Water Tower still stands near the Riverside Inn site.

Riverside Brewery

and

that history

was

The Riverside Inn's recognizable facade which left an indelible impression on countless people for over 130 years.