Cuba in Allegany County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

St. James Hotel

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2021

1. St. James Hotel Marker

Inscription.
Originally built by General Calvin T. Chamberlain, in 1835, The Lafayette House was first of its class and was well known throughout the country for its charm and hospitality. It was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette who served the Continental Army with distinction during the American Revolutionary War.

It was at this hotel that many town meetings in the early years of Cuba were held. It was also the site of the earliest meetings to consider the construction of the Genesee Valley Canal, that was to connect the Erie Canal at Rochester with the Allegany River in Olean.

For unknown reasons, the name of the hotel was changed to the St. James Hotel sometime around 1875. For over 176 years the popular spot was a regular stopping place for travelers and in more modern times was popular with the young “college crowd” returning to Cuba. It is said that during the Prohibition years, starting in the 1920s, it was the source of liquor to the community, with supplies of alcohol being delivered under darkness and stored in the basement.

Funded through the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.

Location. 42° 13.036′ N, 78° 16.511′ W. Marker is in Cuba, New York, in Allegany County. It is on East Main Street just east of South Street (State Route 305), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12 East Main Street, Cuba NY 14727, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

specifically in Western New York,

and in the Southern Tier.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Main Street in the 1940's (about 500 feet away, measured

Marker detail: St. James Hotel image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: St. James Hotel

Until the famed building was tragically destroyed by fire in 2011 it was the oldest public house in Allegany County. The building had been badly damaged by a fire in 1898 but was rebuilt and enlarged to its former glory.

in a direct line); Dedicated to All Veterans (about 600 feet away); Cuba Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Cuba Lake (approx. 1.7 miles away); Seneca Oil Spring (approx. 1.9 miles away); a different marker also named Seneca Oil Spring (approx. 1.9 miles away); Hanging Bog (approx. 6.2 miles away); Friendship Free Library (approx. 7.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cuba.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2021

3. St. James Hotel Marker

The marker is beside the East Main Street sidewalk at the former site of the St. James Hotel.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 31, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.