Annals of the Beaver River

  The history of the Stillwater Hotel is a bit complex. It starts with the construction of the Old Homestead by H. C. Churchill. Harlow Young subsequently bought the hotel and renamed it the Beaver River Inn. When the reservoir was expanded in 1925, Young demolished the hotel, saved what material he could, and reconstructed it on higher ground in its current location. After Young retired, the hotel had a number of owners each of whom renovated and added to the hotel until it reached its current configuration. I will tell the hotel’s story in three chronological posts, beginning with the story of Churchill’s Old Homestead.   The historical record does not clearly identify exactly when or why H. C. (Henry Charles) Churchill first came to work at Stillwater. The Churchill family was from Binghamton, N.Y.  An advertisement in the  Utica Daily Press  on June 12, 1901 lists him as the manager of Stanton’s Adirondack Camp. Stanton’s Camp was located on the north s...