Vintage picture
(Click picture to enlarge)
This old Italian Villa style home was owned by F.W. Knox who was a prominent businessman in Coudersport and President of the Coudersport & Port Allegany Railroad. Mr Know was born in 1824 and died in 1884.
Picture from the 1970's
(Click to enlarge picture)
Many years later the house was turned into a bar and hotel called the "Old Hickory" and was open for over thirty years before falling vacant again. It is said that famous Prohibition Agent Elliot Ness used to hang out here.
Vintage picture from the 1990's
The house was boarded up and left to the elements.
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(Click picture to enlarge)
This picture was taken by me in the summer of 2009 on one of our trips and was used as the backdrop for one of our books....
thanks for the info..what an awesome house !!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteWould love to see the inside. Hope someone steps in and saves it...to much history to just let it fade away...
ReplyDeleteThank-you so much for filling in the blanks. My story was called " let the imagination go ". I am glad to see that someone has used this for a book cover. It needed to be seen, no matter what the reason. Do you research old houses and bring the info up to date? Good job on this one.
ReplyDeleteI want a blurb of the book:)
ReplyDeleteI am the great grandson of the 2nd owner of "Old Hickory" his name was Thomas J. lawyer. I lived in a room there one summer as I was working for my uncle who was the grandson of Thomas J. lawyer. I painted the house in 1969 with 5 men. My experiences in the house were frightening as it was haunted! Each night noises, and orbs and streamers came into my room. I could never sleep well. I think the house should become an attraction as a haunted house!
ReplyDeleteWillies, I'm really curious to hear more about your experiences of that place. I could really sense another presence roaming that place and reading your comment just assure it that much more in my mind aslong as you're not lieing. Damn.
DeleteVery Interesting!! Love the book cover too! Would definitely love to learn more about the place...any possibility of more pictures to come? This would make a great place for a movie! Such a shame it has been abandoned though, although with Willie's story, I can see why. I want to know More!!! :)
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ReplyDeleteMuppet Labs Experiment 5T832: Ghost Hunt: Knox house featured.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?t=39&v=GfCaqBdYcn8
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I live in this town, it's a shame and hard to look at this piece of history just rot away. The entire inside of this house is hollow from basement to roof.
ReplyDeleteDo you know what the status of it is? My husband worked in the area about 5 years ago, and on a visit from Texas, I drove thru Coudersport and saw the house, and was smitten. I have never forgotten it, or stopped wondering if anyone was doing anything to save it. It is the grandest thing I think I've ever seen.
DeleteIt's for sale. See: http://www.oldhousedreams.com/2016/02/26/c-1880-italianate-coudersport-pa-65000/
DeleteIt was purchased & should be fully renovated within 4 years.Currently painting has begun on the outside & restoring about 70 windows has begun.
DeleteI found a photo of her, 6 months ago and fell in love.....
DeleteJust today, I found out where she is and she is being restored.....
�� Victor Fayowski (Canada)
terrible I live here in the town and not know one thing of the owners status but no one has done a thing it still looks grand though
ReplyDeleteIt was purchased in 2016.Renovations began,but were put on hold due to the weather.
Deleteis this still available?
ReplyDeleteUp for sale by Howard Hannah $65,000
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DeleteA nice read and a sketch of what it was possibly to be. http://www.tiogapublishing.com/potter_leader_enterprise/the-picture-nobody-has-seen---local-landmark-figures/article_9bfde71f-a0d3-55b5-b728-2a60be860b94.html
ReplyDeleteA little more info:
DeleteOld Hickory started as dream house
(Editor’s Note: The late Rev. Robert B. Merten researched the history of the Old Hickory for a Coudersport Rotary Club program in 1990. Here are some excerpts.)
Having seen a house in Pittsburgh that he admired very much, attorney and businessman Franklin W. Knox decided to build one exactly like it in Coudersport. Construction was completed just a few weeks before the great fire of May 18, 1880. The house was undamaged during that devastating blaze.
All of the wood used in construction grew in Potter County: maple, cherry, black birch, pine, hemlock, oak, chestnut, butternut, etc.
Knox, a Tioga County native, was a co-owner of the weekly newspaper, the Potter Enterprise, and was instrumental in bringing the railroad and public water system to Coudersport.
In 1903, Thomas J. Lawler bought the house from Knox. In January 1928, Lawler sold his home and properties to the partnership of H. H. Pett, Willard E. Schutt and Howard N. Schutt. They turned it into an inn and named their establishment “The Old Hickory,” in honor of Andrew Jackson.
The new owners used a unique emblem for signs and stationery, depicting Jackson riding a donkey. It was drawn by a guest who had no means of paying his bill and designed the logo in lieu of payment.
H. Hollingsworth and Kay Pett came from New York, joining the Schutts in Coudersport to decorate the Old Hickory with fine furniture and beautiful wallpaper.
Arrival of the Great Depression forced the owners to split. Willard Schutt and his wife, Agnes, stayed in Coudersport and installed the downstairs tavern.
A succession of owners would follow, including John Karr, from 1948 to 1967; Bud and Hilda Franklin, from 1967 to 1972; Richard and Anna Nicka, 1972-76; Frank and Billie Hendrix, 1976-78; Ted and Suzi Bear, Kathleen Wilson and David Marshall, 1978-1987; Olive Richard, for most of 1987, and Dorellenic Corporation starting in December 1987 until it was transferred to Adelphia in 1995.
Court records showed more than $537,000 in antiques were purchased by the Rigases from Morgart’s Trash & Treasures in Coudersport to be used as part of the Old Hickory renovation.
Then came the bankruptcy.
It would be interesting to see if the new owner sees any ghosts as reported in posts by folks.Perhaps ghostly tours in the future?
ReplyDeleteI've been told:No sightings yet!I was in it on Thanksgiving 2016~~~No ghosts etc.
DeleteLinda, did you see the post from the grandson of the 2nd owner? Have you stayed over night yet? So very interesting! I love reading the history! I love Old Hickory and I can't wait to see it restored! Kevin said let him know if you need a natural water feature! :) I will tell him to do it for free just so I can visit! lol
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ReplyDeleteWhat is the current status of the house? Is it being renovated?
ReplyDeleteYes it is. I am rather sad about it. I loved the look. I wish someone would have bought it and turned it into a haunted b&b. The house is famous for it's look. It was featured in a Muppets skit. It was on the top tenz video on youtube. I know people in New Zealand that have seen photos of the house.
DeleteI have a new photo of the house. I am unable to post here. If you would like it you can get in touch with me on Facebook Angie-Marie Caldwell.
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Old hickory buildings
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