Aurora Inn - History of The Aurora Inn

History of The Aurora Inn

E.B. Morgan was operator of the Morgan Store with his brothers. He made his wealth with trade and shipping from Aurora on Cayuga Lake and the Erie Canal. It was a busy port in the mid-19th century and local entrepreneurs created national businesses. Morgan had far-reaching ventures: he was an early investor in the New York Times and American Express, the latter founded by his good friend Henry Wells. He served as a director on Wells' express mail and banking company, Wells Fargo & Company, founded to serve California. Morgan's former home, the EB Morgan House, a lakefront mansion designed by New York City architect Joseph C. Davis, which is also in the historic district, has recently been renovated as a luxury bed and breakfast.

During the 19th century's busy years, the Aurora Inn was a favored overnight destination for travelers borne by stagecoach, canal boat and rail. Soon after the Aurora Inn's opening, an article in the local newspaper noted the Inn's "regularity, neatness and order exhibited everywhere – as well as the thousand little attentions which are paid to the comfort and convenience of travelers." The writer also admired the Aurora Inn's "uninterrupted view of the water scenery of the most enchanting kind" and its "elegance scarcely surpassed by the most extensive houses of our large towns."

When a fire destroyed the main building at Wells College in 1888, many students lived temporarily at the Aurora Inn. They renamed it the Wayside Inn.

Fire struck again in the early hours of February 27, 1919, destroying Aurora's tiny business district between the old post office and the Aurora Inn. When the south cornices of the Inn caught fire, Wells College President Kerr Duncan McMillan climbed on to the roof and doused the fire with buckets of water handed to him by the village brigade. Today charred beams remain under the roof as a reminder of the Aurora Inn's narrow escape.

Since the early 20th century, the inn was a popular spot for students and families from Wells College, Cornell University, and other nearby colleges. In 1943, the Aurora Inn was deeded to Wells College. In the 1960s, when enrollment increased rapidly, the Inn served as a makeshift residence hall.

Because of regional economic issues and travel patterns, the Aurora Inn struggled financially starting in the 1970s. A drain on the college's resources, the Inn had to be closed several times during the last three decades, most recently in October 2000.