The Jordan House

The Jordan House. . For 175 years, the Jordan House has been the longest serving and licensed hotel in the Town of Lincoln. First established in 1842, by John Spence, this inn was designed to provide the basics of food, water and shelter as travelers passed through the Niagara Peninsula on the Iroquois Trail. , At the front of the building on the main floor, food and drink were provided, while at the back there was a stable. On the second floor, nine rooms could be rented for the night. Inns, hotels or roadhouses such as this were the "service centres" of our early super highways. Since horses generally were the energy of the day, frequent rest stops were needed. , This building has served many functions. The first innkeeper, John Spence, a military man, convened the Vigilante Society here to control horse and cattle theft. Later, Louth Council held their meetings here. Prior to Confederation, it was used as a militia recruitment centre. For a time, the basement was used for Catholic Church services. During the Civil War era, the inn was part of the "Underground Railway." Although there is some debate, tunnels from the inn may have been used to hide runaway slaves. Or perhaps, more likely, during the early 1900s, many communities were "dry" meaning no liquor could be served or sold on the premises. The tunnels may have been used to smuggle alcohol into the tavern from adjacent buildings. In fact, this building was the stage for the Temperance debate. Even with the Ontario Temperance Act of 1906, which prohibited the sale of alcohol, the law was weakly enforced and short-lived. , The Jordan House has had many owners; some of whom made changes to the building. In 1968, W. Fernick and G. Doig decided to renovate and expand, adding 20 hotel rooms, a new dining room, and banquet facilities for 200 people. Even a dinner-theatre venue operated for a time. In 2005, under the stewardship of Len Pennachetti, the façade and front interior of the building was changed along with an updating of the hotel facilities. The tavern-restaurant portion has been rebuilt using the original wood beams etc. from the demolition to restore its old time character and ambiance of an earlier time. The Jordan House is Lincoln's longest serving "watering hole", continuing to provide, just as it did in the 1800s, a vital service to both the local community and newly arrived visitors.