Wayside Inn

The Wayside Inn was located in Lake Clear Junction in the 1910s and '20s; it was near the tracks of the New York Central, on the old

Lake Clear Road, later called Ladue Road.

The Inn became notorious as a brothel and a source of illegal alcohol and was raided in 1919 and again in 1923. A small part of the inn remains, a two-story house used as a single family home.

In 1902 a Willard C. Davis sold 26 acres of land to Henry Lewis. It is not clear whether the Inn was there at that time or if Henry Lewis had it built. Prospect Road was dirt and went from Donnelly's Corner (then called Works Corner) to Saranac Inn.

There is a small cemetery on the property, and one of the headstones reads Henry Lewis, 1864 with no ending date. Henry died around 1917 of the influenza that swept through the area during World War I. The same headstone bears the inscription, Wife Emma - 1860-1903. Another large head stone bears the names EELLS and Mack with the date 1880-1918, likely another influenza death.

After Henry Lewis' death around 1917, the Wayside Inn must have been vacant for a while. George Carley Sr., purchased all the property at a tax sale in 1930. He then took off .the top floor and possibly more of the building and used the lumber for a barn he was building. He also used the pasture behind the inn for cows.

George Carley Jr., who helped his father take down some of the old building, recalled that in the basement they found a rather large quantity of empty one-quart beer bottles that had snap-caps, with a ring that held the cap on the bottle.

Some time after 1950, George Carley, Sr., started selling off some of the property. One lot went to the Elmer Pelkey family; that lot was later sold to the Charles Reynolds family. The Steve Crider family lived there in 2000. Nearer the old Wayside Inn was a property that was sold to Ida Kling, that was later occupied by the Peter Segard family. Somewhere around 1974, James Bickford of Camp Topridge purchased some of the property.

The remaining 26 acres of the Inn property was sold to Catherine Carter, who lived there with her children. Harley A. Carter Jr., was the next owner. When he died, his nephew Creighton (Sonny) Carter in 1993 sold the. property to Dan and Mary McLean. [but note that we started out with 26 acres in 1902]

Source:

Adirondack Daily Enterprise, May 19, 2000, Lake Clear News by Deborah J.Donaldson

Malone Farmer, October 13, 1909

The harvest of death from shooting accidents in the Adirondacks this year bids fair to be a very large one unless hunters going into the woods are warned and rewarned by their friends against carelessness. At Little Fish Pond, 12 miles from Saranac Lake Friday, Henry Lewis, proprietor of the Wayside Inn at Lake Clear Junction, was shot through the body just above the heart. The wounded man lay for six hours, in the woods before a physician reached him. He was time taken to shelter on a stretcher, his recovery not being expected. Lewis was out hunting with a large party and was supposedly mistaken for a deer. He is 50 years of age.

Ogdensburg Republican-Journal, December 18, 1916

HENRY LEWIS DIES SUDDENLY PROPRIETOR OF WAYSIDE INN AT LAKE CLEAR.

Henry Lewis, proprietor of the Wayside Inn at Lake Clear, passed away suddenly at an early hour Wednesday morning after an illness of only a week. The deceased was 52 years of age and-was a native of Alburgh, Vt, although he had lived for many years at Lake Clear.

Malone Farmer, October 16, 1918

Malcolm Eells, well-known proprietor of Wayside Inn at Lake Clear, died there Wednesday afternoon. He had been ill only a short time. He was 40 years old and had many friends throughout that section. He is survived by his widow and several children.

'Ogdensburg Republican-Journal, October 19, 1923

OFFICERS RAID WAYSIDE INN

Resort Located at Lake Clear Junction Raided.

MALONE Oct. 18.—Four women and three men were taken into custody at the Wayside Inn, located near Lake Clear Junction, town of Harrietstown, Franklin county, shortly after midnight this morning, when the place was raided by district attorney H. W. Main, Sheriff F. S. Steenberge, Captain C. J. Broadfield and six troopers of Troop B. State Police.

Mrs. Edna Eells, proprietor of the Inn, was arrested on four charges—possession and sale of intoxicating liquor in violation of the National Prohibition Act, conducting a disorderly house and improper guardianship of her eight year old nephew Vernon Bryan.

Arnold Eells, son of Edna Eells, was arrested on a charge of keeping a disorderly house and selling liquor. Benjamin DeLarm, who was taken into custody in the raid will be arraigned on a charge of rape, 1st degree.

Four women found in the house and two men were brought to Malone by the officers and were examined before Judge Burno on the charges above mentioned. The charges of running a disorderly house and rape will be presented to the Grand Jury next week.

The raid was most minutely planned. Two troopers in plain clothes, entered the Inn at about 11:30 o'clock, while a dance was in progress, and at 12:45 o’clock the other members of the raiding party made a forcible entrance into the hotel, making the arrests mentioned.

Both District Attorney Main sad Captain Broadfield stated today that in their opinion the Wayside Inn was the worst dive they have ever seen in the course of their official duty as officers.

Mrs. Eells was held about two weeks ago to await the action of Federal court on a charge of violating the National Prohibition Act.