Sherwood renovation turns up historic find

By Jason Gabak
Editor

When doing renovations and repairs at an older home or structure there are always stories about finding hidden or lost items

Stories range from hidden fortunes to old toys, baseball cards and newspapers that were tucked away in corners or rafters and remained hidden for years.

During some recent renovation work at the Sherwood Inn, workers found something

According to Nancy Ranieri, executive administrator at the Sherwood, Jason Armijo, of David Lee and Company, found a historical signature while restoring the stairs at the Sherwood Inn last week.

While doing work a board was found with the name and what is believed to be signature of John Packwood.

“This was a very exciting thing to find,” Ranieri said. “We had no idea it was there. It was a quite an exciting find. We called Bill Eberhardt (current owner of the Sherwood Inn) right over and Jen Carter came and took pictures. Everyone was very excited.”

Local author and historian Kihm Winship was asked to view the piece as well as other finds such as tobacco tins and other items such as an engraved brick which have been found during the renovation work.

Ranieri said the plank with Packwood’s name was at the top of the stairs to the second floor in a hall leading to one of the rooms that is undergoing renovations.

Packwood was a highly successful carriage maker in Skaneateles and one of the early owners of the Sherwood Inn, which he had renamed Packwood House in the late 1800s.

The full story of the Sherwood Inn reaches back to 1807 when Isaac Sherwood decided to have a tavern built for his stagecoach business.

In 1815, the Sherwood Tavern was leased to a firm named Coe & Marsh, who sold it in 1833 to William Fuller, who had previously worked for Sherwood as a bartender.

Fuller kept the tavern for seven years before selling it to Colonel Alford Lamb in 1840, when it then became Lamb’s Hotel.

It was near the end of the Civil War when a successful carriage manufacturer, Packwood, bought and renovated the tavern, adding a third floor, east and west wings as well as a balcony.

At this juncture, the inn was renamed, the Packwood House.

Packwood continued the business until 1874, when it was sold to Friend A. and Edward Andrews who ran it for 45 years.

The Sherwood, by any name, has had a long history in the Skaneateles community.

During the 1918 influenza epidemic, the Packwood House was converted into a temporary hospital.

Afterward, in 1919 the Inn was put up for auction but was sold back to the holder of the mortgage, Mrs. Della Austin.

In the years following, the inn was operated by John Breslin as the Breslin House, and then by E.C Lonergan who restored the name of the Packwood House.

In 1922, the Southern Tier Hotel Company purchased the Packwood House, renaming it Kan-Ya-To Inn and operated it until food rationing and labor shortages of World War II forced its closure in 1942.

Chester Coats and his wife bought the inn in 1945 and changed the name back to the original name of Sherwood Inn. The inn continued under the Coat’s management until his retirement in 1971, when it became property of the Skaneateles Holding Company, a group of Skaneateles residents who formed a company to purchase and manage the inn.

Eberhardt purchased the inn in 1974, devoting his career to restoring the inn to its “former stature as the beating heart of Skaneateles, and providing rest and refreshment for travelers and a meeting place for the community,” Eberhardt has said.

The current renovations have been planned for several years and Ranieri said it was a matter of finding the right time to allow for these renovations which include work to the lobby, tavern, dining room and several of the guest rooms.

The Sherwood has been sharing this progress with social media posts, which Ranieri said have had an avid following, which speaks to the importance of the Sherwood to the community.

“People have been interested to see what is going on,” Ranieri said. “We have had a lot of nice comments about the work we are doing.”

The work is anticipated to be completed by March 15.

Ranieri said while there will be some difference, a slightly different layout to the lobby for example, she said these changes are all being made to make the experience of guests the best it can be and make the Sherwood as welcoming as possible.

“That is what Bill has always wanted the Sherwood to be,” Ranieri said. “This is a place where we want everyone to feel welcome and have the best experience while they are here.”

Ranieri said a decision has not been made yet about how to best share the Packwood piece, but she said something special will be done to honor this historic find.