Hezekiah B. Loomis
Born: February 27, 1809
Died: June 19. 1878
Married: Caroline E. (d. 1844), Euphemia Anderson
Hezekiah B. Loomis was a successful merchant from New York City who frequented Paul Smith's Hunters Home in the years before Smith built his famous hotel on Lower St. Regis Lake. It was Loomis who loaned Smith the money to build the hotel.
With his brothers, he was one of the incorporators of the Loomis Institute.
New York Times, October 27, 1912
...It was in September, 1858, on a Sunday afternoon that Paul Smith, in company with one of his long-standing guests, Daniel Sanders, a well-known Massachusetts lawyer, sat down to partake of a little lunch on the high bank overlooking the lower St. Regis Lake, where there was no house, and began the conversation which led to Paul Smith's permanent removal to that place in the year 1859. Daniel Sanders had hunted the woods of Maine and was greatly impressed with their superiority over the Adirondack region, but on this day Paul Smith had taken him upon a long journey from Mud Pond on the Saranac through the St. Regis Lakes and had satisfied him that the woods and waters were full of game. Sanders said:
"Paul, this is a beautiful spot. You ought to have a house right here."
To this suggestion Paul replied that at that time he was not a capitalist.
However, when he got buck to Hunters' Home he related the experiences of the day to the guests, among whom was Dr. Hezekiah B. Loomis of New York City. He had been a visitor at Hunters' Home for several years, and was a great friend of Paul Smith. He told Paul to go to the St. Regis Lakes and get what land he could and to call on him for the money to build such a house as he thought was necessary to accommodate a limited number of guests, including women. Dr. Loomis wanted to have a place where he could go in company with his wife.
Paul bought fifty acres of land for $6 an acre, which took all the ready money he had. He then borrowed from Dr. Loomis $13,000, for which he gave a mortgage, and erected a house of seventeen rooms, including a large living room. Among the early boarders at Loon Lake and St. Regis Lake were Peter Butler of Boston, Horace Green of New York City, and other men of their calibre. The house was not finished until the year 1859, when Paul Smith finally took possession at the place which now bears his name and began the operations as a landlord and property developer which have made his name famous all over the world...