NELSON — The Town of Nelson, in partnership with the Erieville-Nelson Heritage Society (ENHS) and Nelson Preservation Associates (NPA), will unveil a new historical marker at Nelson Corners on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m.
Funded through a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, the marker recognizes the historical significance of the Old Drovers Tavern at 3307 US-20, Cazenovia, on the corner of Route 20 and Nelson Road.
The property is considered historically and architecturally significant and is currently eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
“The tavern was of utmost importance to the community,” said Nelson Co-Historian and NPA Secretary Laine Gilmore. “It was a place to visit, pay your taxes, hold political events, and go to meetings for several different societies. At one time, the tavern had an upstairs ballroom, so music and dancing would have been a big part of the social life of the Nelson citizens. Also of significance is the fact that it was on the Cherry Valley Turnpike, a main travel road for early travelers. They needed a place to stay over for the night and rest their livestock as well.”
Originally known as The Sickle and Sheath Drover’s Tavern, the building was constructed around 1804 as a tavern for cattle drovers on the Cherry Valley Turnpike (US Route 20), which opened a few years earlier.
The tavern changed hands multiple times throughout much of the mid-19th century.
In May 1874, the Cazenovia Republican reported that John James & Son had acquired the property intending to make extensive repairs and open a store. Probable repairs included the reconstruction of the hotel facade to include two of the present-day storefronts and a canopy. The store sold hardware and tinware fabricated by James’ son William T. James. The building also served as the village post office.
Following William’s death in 1917, his son Bryan partnered with F. J. Hamilton to open a feed store in one half of the building. After the post office closed in 1934, Hamilton opened an antique store in the other half.
Bryan, along with his wife, Anna, who served as bookkeeper, sold antiques and lived in the building until Bryan died in 1972, at which time former Assemblyman Bill Magee purchased the property. The building continued to function as an antique store and auction house until recently.
According to the Old Drovers Tavern website, the building retains a high degree of architectural integrity.
“It is a six-bay, side-gabled, clapboard-sided building with multiple windows at different levels on the second story,” the website states. “This suggests more than one period of construction. Some historic double-hung sash remain, while others have been replaced. There are cornerboards and a delicate frieze board and cornice returns, suggesting its Federal-period construction date. The first story includes a full-length canopy and three historic storefronts, two of which have center doors and flanking multi-light windows. This appears to have been constructed after a historic photo of the building was taken around 1920.”
The property is now owned by NPA, an all-volunteer non-profit organization founded in 2019 to help preserve historic Nelson.
According to NPA CEO Nancy Demyttenaere, the organization purchased the Old Drovers Tavern in November 2019.
“Our primary focus these last years has been to address the numerous code violations and general maintenance needs for the safety of our tenants [and the] preservation of the buildings,” said Demyttenaere. “Through generous community support and corporate sponsors, we have removed numerous dead and dying ash trees and cut back the overgrowth around the buildings. We’ve done extensive historic and technical studies on the property and its evolution as well, including ground penetrating radar, paint analysis, [locating] and [inspecting] its underground utilities, as well as [carefully studying] the architectural evolution of the tavern building.”
Demyttenaere added that NPA’s primary goal is to not only physically preserve the building but also to reestablish it as a working tavern for the community and visitors.
“It’s been a primary social gathering site since the establishment of the Town of Nelson, and we’re looking forward to retaining that important social and cultural function,” she said. “We also intend to replicate the historic barn once on site and transfer the current rental units into that modern building so our tenants have modern accommodations and comforts. We’re finally at a point in our understanding of the site where we can begin major restoration of both the tavern and its landscape, and the community is very excited about that.”
The NPA also hopes to get the Old Drovers Tavern listed on the National Register.
“It is a work in progress,” said Gilmore. “The benefits [include] certain protections for historical buildings and structures, and getting listed represents the cultural heritage of a community and the traditions of past generations. Although the National Register of Historic Places does not have a grant program, there are grant programs [through] the National Park Service that we may be eligible for down the road.”
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation awarded the Town of Nelson its historic marker grant in April 2024.
The Pomeroy Foundation is a private, philanthropic organization in Syracuse. As the nation’s leading funder of historical roadside markers, the foundation has awarded over 2,400 grants for markers and bronze plaques in 48 states and Washington, D.C.
The NYS Historic Marker Grant Program commemorates historic people, places, things, or events from 1683 to 1924. Since 2006, the foundation has funded over 1,000 markers in all 62 NYS counties.
According to Gilmore, the first step of the grant application process is to submit a letter of intent including a proposed marker inscription consisting of a title line and five lines of 27 characters each.
“You give them the proposed marker site, and then they send approval to go ahead and submit the application,” Gilmore said.
The applicant is then tasked with compiling primary source materials that support the information presented in the proposed inscription.
According to Gilmore, Nelson submitted numerous deeds as evidence.
“All the deeds from 1817 until 1873 support the fact that the building was either a ‘tavern stand’ or a hotel,” she said. “I also submitted many newspaper notices and articles, as well as maps showing the building as a hotel in the 1850s through 1870s. Altogether, I think I submitted approximately 25 sources. Although it was likely that the building was built in 1804, our first reference to the tavern is in an 1817 deed, so part of the inscription of the sign can only read ‘built by 1817.’ Also of note is that the James family bought it in 1874 and three generations of [the family] lived there until 1972. . . . While [they] lived there, it had many [uses] over the years; it was a tin shop, a feed store, and a post office, among other things. And, of course, many locals recall that Bill Magee had his auction house in the barn and his antique shop in the tavern building.”
On Sept. 10, Gilmore reported that the marker was in Nelson and ready to be installed. Highway Superintendent Joseph Deyo and the Town of Nelson crew will install and cover the sign a few days before the dedication and unveiling.
Following the ceremony, the ENHS will host an on-site reception. All are welcome to attend the ceremony and reception.
“We [think of] ENHS and NPA as sister organizations, and both support each other,” said Gilmore. “ENHS is showing their support by hosting. There will be refreshments and snacks and informal tours of the grounds and building.”
For more information on the Old Drovers Tavern, visit olddroverstavern.com.
To learn more about the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, visit wgpfoundation.org.
