Sometimes, when you least expect it, as the saying goes, things fall into place. For quite some time, I was trying to figure out the history of an old building on State Route 9W. It’s behind the Balmville Plaza, or the old Coral Reef, Circus, or Gemini North building, whatever your memory best remembers.

Back during the days of the Coral Reef and the Circus, we would sometimes play cards in one of the apartments in this house. Some of my buddies did do some renovation work in there, too, which was in the early 1970’s. Little did I know fifty years later, I would trying to determine its history.

I had looked at some of the records and it was noted, back in the 1960’s, the building was 100 years old. It didn’t really give much more to go on, just a generality. I was stumped, and the mystery both intrigued, and eluded me.

Well, if you remember, I wrote an article about the Asbury Chapel, which was where the Middlehope Drive In and Knaust’s Turkey Farm were. The discovery of the old photo of the chapel was enlightening as once I opened up the frame, on a sheet of paper behind the photo, were handwritten notes.

One was extremely faded, difficult to read. A bit of enhancing helped and it reads “Old M E Church Middle Hope opposite G O Warrens Hotel – east side of state road”. Thanks to this reference to the Asbury Chapel, which was the original Methodist Church in Middlehope on the east side of the road, I was able to gather some information on the building which was the old hotel.

G O Warren’s first name was Gordon, and it appears he owned and ran the hotel in the early 1900’s. Interestingly, he was sued for the sum of $25,000 by another gentleman for the theft his wife’s affection! The bottom line? After about four years everything was settled. Gordon paid a settlement of $3,500, to Jesse Sarvis, the husband, who subsequently divorced his wife, Blanche Brown, after Judge Seeger heard testimony from Jesse’s daughter, Hazel, in 1924. You can read all about it in the August 1, 1924, edition of the Goshen Democrat.

And, this wasn’t the first incident of mayhem at the Middlehope Hotel! No, sir! Before Gordon O. Warren, there was Thomas Wrigley, the previous proprietor.

His claim to fame? He murdered his wife there! The whole story was in the March 8th, 1907, edition of the Independent Republican.

Thomas Wrigley and his wife, according to the press, had previous run an honorable establishment in Newburgh before moving to Middlehope.

Apparently, he had a problem with alcohol consumption. It was reported he had previously severely beaten his wife, leaving her with a permanent disability!

Mr. Wrigley was released on bail after being indicted and the matter languished for a few years as there were no witnesses. Before everything was settled, Thomas passed away in a boarding house in Newburgh, according to an article in a 1910 issue of the Goshen Democrat.

The next time you’re driving up that way, you might glance over and see the top of the old Middlehope Hotel, a roadhouse of its day, peeking over the newer establishments in front of it. I wonder what other stories this old road house is hiding.