Lake View, NY Photo Album

LAKE VIEW HOTEL (circa 1908)

lakeviewhotel

(photo provided by Donald Spittler, unofficial Lake View historian)

One of the best-known landmarks in Lake View, NY is certainly the LAKE VIEW HOTEL. Catherine Walden Myer daughter of Ebenezer Walden (1777-1857), a mayor of Buffalo from 1838-39 and a member of the Electoral College (who had an estate nearby and gave the hamlet of Lake View its name) built the hotel in 1880 to serve the many traveling salesmen who arrived on the seven daily trains on the NY Central Railroad (the station was across the street) to sell their wares in the surrounding countryside. The salesmen (called "drummers") would rent a horse and buggy from the livery stable behind the six-room hotel to make their rounds. NOTE: Catherine was the wife of Albert James Myer, a famous Civil War physician and founder of the Signal Corps and the US Weather Service and after whom Ft. Meyer near Washington, DC is named.

Catherine Walden Myer

Catherine sold the building to the Hanley family (William Hanley had worked for the Myers) and the homestead of Daniel Hanley was located several hundred feet behind the premises. The Hanley family leased the Hotel to several individuals, including John Murjahn Sr., Maria Fritschie, Art Thompson and John Bentley, the latter of whom hung himself in the rear livery barn. Art Thompson finally took title to the property and passed it on to his daughter Olive, wife of Charles Stadler.

The Stadlers operated the Hotel as an ice cream parlor during Prohibition then subsequently obtained a liquor license and maintained ownership of the establishment until after World War II. It was eventually purchased by Reginald Lombard in 1948 who transformed it into the popular smorgasbord restaurant it was for several years. The original structure - pictured above - has gone through fire, renovation, sale and resale and still stands at 1957 Lake View Rd.
View Maps of Lake View 1866 (with various locations marked) and 1907-08

Excerpt from the "History of Hamburg" published in 1898: "Lake View is a railroad station in the southwest part of the town,
and contains one hotel, the store of F. W. Cook, the factory of the Erie Cycle Company (built in 1895)
and a union church (erected in 1892).

Bridge over 18-Mile Creek looking SW from Versailles and North Creek Rds. in Lake View towards North Evans showing tannery once operated by Jacob Schoellfopf - 1906.
(photo contributed by Gary Pericak)

See 1908 map of North Evans
showing location of tannery.
View Photo of WS Sikes Store
in 1860 in North Evans, also on map.

View some excellent information
and photos of 18-Mile Creek
and More Photos!

Fisher Estate - Lake View, NY - c.1915
(photo contributed by David Petrus,
son of Linda Wightman Petrus, resident of Lake View)

View photo inside Bicycle Factory
which operated in Lake View from 1895-1903.

The Fisher Estate is located on the south side of North Creek Rd. at Rt. 20 along the creek bank. It was built by the Shepherd family of Buffalo as a summer retreat. Joseph Fisher, a vice-president of M&T Bank, bought the house in the 1930's and lived in there until the early 60s when he passed away. The house was purchased and converted into a restaurant called "The Cliffside" which had some success but eventually closed. The structure sat vacant until a Buffalo real estate developer Frank Parlato purchased it and leased it to a religious commune. (Parlato's plans to develop the Fisher property and land he owned across the street (North Creek) into a housing development fell through, largely due to local opposition.) Eventually, the commune purchased the Fisher property with proceeds from their bakery, and other income. (commentary provided by Ed Patton, current resident of Lake View)

This house built by George W. Spittler on the corner of Lake View and Burke Rds. in 1931 was occupied by the Spittler family until 1966, when Edith Metz Spittler passed away.
(submitted by Susan Ward Merk, granddaughter of George & Edith Spittler)

Kalterhouse Tavern c. 1915

The Kalterhouse Tavern stood at the corner of Pleasant Ave. and Versailles Rd. (on the southeast corner of the latter, where the former office of Acme Shale brick was located) in the area originally called Weyer's Crossing (see Map of Lake View in 1907) and later, Shaleton. Jack Schiedel ran the tavern for George Kalterhouse (Kelderhouse). In the 1920s the tavern burned to the ground and Kalterhouse moved across the tracks and built another tavern which later came to be known as the Wanakah Grill. During Prohibition Kalterhouse ran it as a speakeasy, supposedly hiding the booze behind the cereal boxes on the shelf. The Wanakah Grill later was owned by Stan Kocic for many years. After his passing Nichole and Mike Trzepacz bought it.

In the photo above Mrs. George Glass is sitting in the Model T Ford. On the porch of the old tavern, Jack Schiedel is on the left and George Kalterhouse on the right. (Photo submitted by Ed Patton; Original owned by Donald Spittler.)

View photo of Spittler's Grocery c. 1931, Queen City Cycle Co. (1895-1903) and
baseball team (the "Prospects") formed in Idlewood area around Bicycle Factory.

Building Bridge on Rt. 20 Across 18 Mile Creek - 1929
See bridge as it looks today: http://www.abcdwny.org/2000bridgeaward.htm

Looking East on North Creek Rd.
(when it was still obviously a dirt road)

(photo contributed by David Petrus,
son of Linda Wightman Petrus,
resident of Lake View)

Trolley at Idlewood
(undated-probably mid 1930's)
(photo contributed by Gary Pericak)

Building of Railroad Trestle Over 18 Mile Creek - 1942-43
(scene of collapse which killed several people)

(photos contributed by Gary Pericak)
Read about the Great Gatling Land Boom of 1892-93
View some excellent information and photos on 18-Mile Creek

Train Derailment near Acme Shale & Brick plant c. 1954
(Photo provided by Chuck Ward)

Lake View Railroad Stations

Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
(later New York Central) RR
which dates back to the Buffalo and State Line Railroad built in 1852

This station can be seen on the Map of Lake View in 1908 between the two sets of tracks, at the point where Lake View Rd. turns north in front of the Lake View Hotel. It was built in 1868 pursuant to a conveyance of the land from Albert J. & Catherine Walden Myer.

NY Chicago & St. Louis (Nickleplate)/PA RR Station- 1964
(RR line dates back to 1890)

Mr. Frank Lum, the station master, is holding a Y shaped stick in this photo which was used to catch or "serve" the mail to the trainmen. The Lake View Station was dismantled shortly after this photo was taken by Donald Spittler and family.

This station can been seen on the Map of Lake View in 1908 on the east side of the 2nd set of tracks (from the top) next to the property of J. Christian.

(photos contributed by Ed Patton, former Director of the WNY Heritage Institute and current resident of Lake View; original photo of PA RR Station owned by Donald Spittler)

Photos of Lake View School Photos of People and Groups
Lake View Cookbook from 1950's
History of Lake View Maps Of Lake View