Pause with me for a few moments and we’ll go back to 1861, the year oil was discovered in the small quiet village of Guys Mills. Pretend with me, if you will. Guys Mills was an important crossroads, a busy little village with horse drawn carriages coming and going! People were conversing at the store fronts. The sound of trotting horses could be heard. The noise of the blacksmith and tin shops was ringing in the community. It was a warm spring afternoon; the air was filled with the aroma of Lilac and Honey Suckle. A young business man and his wife on their way, perhaps to the oil fields of Titusville to make an investment for the future, drove up to the Guy House Hotel in a carriage drawn by two sleek, brown, and high spirited, Morgan horses. The man stepped down from the carriage slowly, took off his hat, turning, he offered his hand to his wife. She descended gracefully, holding a pale blue parasol in her gloved clad hand. She smoothed out the wrinkles from her garments. A young lad abounded from the long hotel porch to take the reins of those beautiful horses, and led them down the circular drive way to the livery stable below. The lady took the arm of her husband and together they stepped back, looking up, viewed the stateliness of the hotel structure and the sign that read 1851. It was the pride of the area for miles around.

 

They faced the hotel directly from the front. There were two front entries, a door at the right front led directly into the bar room and a double set of doors in the center of the building was the main entrance way. They choose the main entrance, entering into a small foyer. The hotel appeared simple, yet elegant with its dark polished woodwork and lovely bright wall paper. Straight ahead of them was the dark wood staircase leading to the second and third floors. To the right of the staircase was a hallway leading to the rear of the hotel.

 

They turned to their left going into the beautifully furnished parlor where red velvet drapes and gold braided tie backs draped the windows. The furniture was made of dark wood upholstered in red mohair, two high back chairs covered with red mohair and a platform rocker graced the parlor. They approached the counter and tapped the bell for service. Mr. Guy came to greet and register them for the night. The rates varied according to the number of meals consumed and the number of horses stabled. Accommodations for each guest average between one and three dollars per day. The hotel register was of interest to them as it revealed that guests had come from as far away as Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, and New York City. There were mysterious entries in the book such as "Lone Young man," "Unknown Traveling Man", "The names of ten men from the American Telephone and Telegraph Company who are touring the world", "and John Brown, the abolitionist."

 

They conversed with the Proprietor, Mr. Augustus Guy about the mysterious entries in the register book and the impressive structure of the hotel. It was a quiet slow afternoon for business and Mr. Guy suggested a tour of the hotel. They were elated with his suggestion!

 

He took them from the parlor, going east towards the back of the hotel, into the dining room, located on the north side of the building. In one corner of the room sat a high back chair.

High back chair from the Guy House Hotel

 

Table from the Guy House Hotel 

 

 

The framework of the tables were constructed with oak two by fours, connected together with metal "X" shaped fasteners, which allowed the two by fours to slide by each other in sort of telescopic pattern. This enabled the table to slide together into a circle which would seat four people.

 

 

                                         

 

The table, at the ends, could also be pulled apart by means of the telescopic two by fours to allow ten 10" oak table leaves to be inserted. With the table in its most open position fourteen adults could be comfortably seated around each table. The tables were dressed with beautiful freshly starched white table linens and were set for the evening meal.

                    

 

Augustus took them further east through the dining room toward the back of the building into the next room, the pantry. The pantry had a dumb waiter that went down into the cellar. Here perishable foods were stored and kept cool. When the cook wished to prepare food, for meals, a rope was pulled which brought the dumb waiter back to the first floor. In the pantry there was also a large trap door leading into the cellar, perhaps a wine cellar. From the pantry they went to the kitchen which was situated east, in the rear of the building, and filled with the aroma of apple and blackberry pies, hot homemade bread and cinnamon rolls with a thin white powered sugared glaze. The kitchen had a cook stove, sink, pitcher pump, and a large cupboard filled with dishes.  Mr. Guy took them to a door way at the back of the kitchen, opened it for them and they viewed a small room with a brass bath tub for bathing.

 

On the far back, east side of the hotel, off the kitchen Augustus showed them the woodshed. Stepping to the outside of the woodshed Mr. Guy pointed to the ice house, the large livery stable, and to the south, a beautiful grape arbor. A clothesline was strung from the edge of the woodshed to a tree some distance away. Back inside the woodshed they viewed a staircase on the south side which led up to a walk way that encircled the inside of the woodshed and led to the servant’s quarters.

 

He then took them back into the kitchen; crossing it they entered a hallway. From the hallway they entered into the living quarters of Augustus and his family on the south side of the building. There were two bedrooms and a living room. From the living room they went back into the hallway going west entered into the bar room on the south side. The bar room was brightly lit, having three windows and two outside doorways. The walls were covered with brightly colored wallpaper and the dark woodwork glistened. The long bar for serving drinks was off to their right. Augustus seated the young couple at a small table and summoned the waiter to bring them the house drink. The waiter came, a white towel draped over his arm, he served them the special drink of the house, sasphirala or maybe it was the famous ginger ale from Saegertown. They conversed for awhile enjoying their drinks and the leisurely afternoon.

 

Mr. Guy suggested they continue on their tour directing them across the bar room. Going north through a door way brought them back into the small foyer in which they had entered the hotel earlier. As they turned to the right, directly in front of them was the broad dark polished wood staircase which led to the second floor, their accommodations for the night. As they reached the top of the staircase they noticed it opened out into a wide brightly lit hallway and the staircase was encircled with a dark polished railing. The staircase was located in the very center of the second floor. You could walk all the way around it viewing the small entry way below. Each room had its own private entrance with the door opening from the hallway into the room. On each door was placed a number and on the door frame was a bracket holding a kerosene lamp that was kept burning. Each room was completely furnished with personal effects; bed, dresser, washstand with pitcher and bowl. Yes! Under each bed was placed a chamber pot. And each chamber had a crocheted doily under the lid to muffle the sound when replacing it. To your left (north) of the staircase were four rooms and to your right (south) were three rooms. One room on the south side was furnished with twin beds for a family needing accommodation. A small room to the west (front of the building) was reserved for tramps. Turning around you could see at the far east end of the hallway in front of the staircase a large closet for hanging guests coats, and hats before going to the third floor. Off to the left of the closet at the very back of the hotel (East) was a door way leading to the third floor. Off to the left of the large closet the proprietor led them north into a small room and through a door way to their right into the servants quarters. They viewed a nice size room with two beds. On the east side of this room was a door which opened out onto a balcony, which they had viewed earlier from the woodshed below. The balcony nearly circled the entire woodshed. It ran the length of the west wall and across the length of the north and east walls with a set of stairs on the south side leading to the floor of the woodshed below. Standing in the east doorway of the servant’s quarters one could view piles of neatly stacked firewood and the path the servants walked as they made their frequent journeys from the back kitchen door up the staircase and around the balcony into the second story of the hotel. Over this well warn pathway many meals were delivered to the guest who preferred eating in private. Many arm loads of wood were carried along this corridor to the four heating stoves in the guest quarters. On the return trip to the woodshed the servants always had something to fill their hands and arms, buckets of ashes, trays of dirty dishes, soiled linens and yes even the chamber pots made their way around the balcony and down to the woodshed floor below. After viewing the servant’s quarters they stepped back out into the main hallway at the (east) front of the staircase and to the rear of the building beside the large closet. Mr. Guy was summoned back to the register book to greet other guests. He suggested to the young couple they may want to go to their room and freshen up, relax a few moments before the evening meal. He excused himself stating they could continue the tour of the facility later in the evening.

 

The young couple went to their room, relaxed a short while and made themselves ready for the evening meal. The dinner bell was rung at 6:00. They made their way down the staircase, to the first floor, into the dining room. Here they seated themselves among the other guests whom were seated at the lovely tables. They were served, family style, the tasty fried chicken and hot homemade bread they had smelled all afternoon. The guests were chatting feverishly among themselves, but took time to welcome the young couple into the conversation. The topic of conversation was an exciting one! They learned that just a few weeks prior oil had been discovered in Guys Mills and J. D. Rockefeller; the great financial wizard had visited the little village with hope of investing in the oil well and had eaten at this very table. He was disappointed when he learned that the 500 barrel a day gusher only gives one barrel a day. He went on to the oil fields of Titusville, PA to make his investment. The evening meal together with the other hotel guests had been an enjoyable time. Augustus Guy entered the dinning room announcing the evening entertainment, for his guests, would be a dance to commence at seven thirty.

 

The young couple looked at each other with interest, and wondered where the dance would be held. They finished their meal and returned quickly to their room! They freshened up, making themselves ready for the dance. Soon they heard soft music in the background and people gathering in the hallway. They left their room on the second floor and moved with the people as they made their way to the east end part of the hotel. The Waltz music became more clear and inviting. They went again to the left of the closet at the east end of the hallway in front of the staircase. Stepping up two steps went through a door unto a small platform turned to their right and ascended a short staircase of dark polished wood to the third floor. The music was more beautiful and their hearts began to flutter with excitement! At the top, the staircase opened out into a beautiful ballroom with a lovely ceiling rounding it’s self off down towards the walls. The bandstand was in the center off to the north of the room. The walls were plastered white and covered halfway up with wane skouting meeting a chair railing going along the walls around the room. A portrait of a handsome man hung on one wall. The couple danced the first waltz of the evening together. Waltzing their way across the dance floor to the front (west) of the building and sat down on a long bench that was attached to the wall under the windows. They sat for awhile looking from the two windows at the view below and beyond them, of the town and the horse drawn carriages as they approached the hotel for the evening dance.

 

The Proprietor approached them and issued an invitation to continue the tour of the impressive structure pointing out areas of interest in the Ballroom. This room he had saved until last for their viewing. He drew their attention to the large portrait of Jacob Guy hanging on the wall, stating that Jacob was his father, and the founding father of the village. He pointed out the many lovely features of the ball room; the more practical areas such as the large storage area off to each side of the dance floor and the tongue and grooved lumber that was used to construct the smooth floor. Mr. Guy requested the honor of having the next dance with the young women and she accepted his invitation. When the dance was completed he returned his guest to her husband. Mr. Guy took her hand bowing before her, kissed her hand, and nodding to the young man said, "I shall set you free to enjoy the company of each other, in an evening of dancing." He wished them well and bid them a good evening. As he left them they glided across the floor to the waltz that had just begun.

 

The evening was young and they danced the night away! Retiring to their room rather late, they slept longer than usual the next morning. They awoke from their sleep smelling the tasty breakfast of ham, eggs and fried potatoes with bread added for special flavoring, which awaited them in the dining room below. They departed from the hotel late in the morning going on their way perhaps to their business venture, maybe to the oil fields of Titusville, Pennsylvania.