Milford chronicle., 1931-05-01
GLENDALE
Slaughter Beach 1OlO.109O

Wnlcn IOfDlddeQ the sale OF lntOXl
eating liquors of any kind in SUISSE
county, this hotel was at that tim
closed, it being said that no publ
house could survive without the sal
of liquor.
Edward Reynolds was the las
proprietor under the license sys
tenn. He had a wonderful reputation
for setting a table that could not b,
eXcelled anywhere, but like Others
he thought that a hotel could no
last long without the public bar Ovel
which intoxicating drinks could bt
I sold. So he packed his belongings
and moved away.
J. Stanley Short (deceased) owned
in those days the hotel, and aftel
the departure of Mr.. Reynolds it re-
manned closed for several years, on
ly being occupied in the summer by
the owner and his family, or rented
to clubs from the city for a week or
two weeks at a times.
This state of affairs continued un-
til about 1912 when Mr. and Mrs.
William Wiyant rented the property
of Mr.. Short and the old hotel un-
der their wonderful management
commenced at once to assume its
former popularity, and retained it
so long as the hostelry was under
their charge. People said at once
that Slaughter Beach was going for
ward at a rapid rate.
Mr.. Short, the owner of the hotel,
had tried to dispose of the property
at very low price. $500 being ask
ed and no buyers. This same hotel
under the license system would have
brought many thousands of dollars,
but as the privilege of selling liqu-
nOr had been taken away no one
seemed willing to invest money in
which was considered at
that time Of very little value what
ever.
Mr.. and Mrs. Wiyant tried to ne
gotiate for the property as a lesser
price than $3500 but Mr.. Short held
out for the original amount and Mr..
and Mrs. Wiyant let the bargain
pass from them. If they could have
known what the future would bring
forth they would have purchased
the property as a much larger price !
if asked
So matters stood, the Wiyants
to have charge of the ho-
.el until the coming of Frederick w.
Graham of Philadelphia, who pro-
1eeded at once to inspect the prop
erty and he must have thought it
was bargain as he purchased at
he full price asked by Mr.. Short
md took charge at the end of the
vear.
Mr.. and Mrs. Graham being of Ger
nan descent and having had no ex-
)erience in running a hotel, did not
NOW what to do and how to act and
commenced to cater to the wants of
he people in a way which was a
allure from the start.
They said at first that they would
.ater to the wants of the higher
lass of people and the middle or
oOrer class need not apply as they
Fere not wanted.
OF course this did not last long,
he higher class Of people went to a
lOre aristocratic place than Slaugh-
er Beach and the new proprietor =
Oon found out that to enable him I
} live, he would have to cater to all
like. ;
At first this seemed to work and '
he people in large number patron '
ed their hotel, but soon that dom {
leeTing overbearing spirit broke '
,ose to that extent that patrons of
le hotel could not receive a salts I
lctory or polite answer to any s
Iestion they might ask. f
This continued for a while when t
lie public quickly drifted away and t
lie hotel was closed as far as the n
of the people was e
C
1t was evident from the very be- G
nning of things that Mr.. and Mrs. p
raham did not know how to treat
class of people who at that time d
ltronized Slaughter Beach, they Il
I'd been dealing with a different e
ass of people when engaged in o
inning a grocery store in Philadel-
Tia, but when they accorded the k
me treatment to patrons of the S,
ach, they simply let them alone
either staying at home or going ii
some other resort. d.
When the owners of the beach fC
W the crowds drifting away from IL
EN-, they commenced to demand of fl
ch automobile which stopped on +
e grounds surrounding the hotel
e sum of fifteen cents and no diff il
renee if the people only remained Il
e minutes the amount had to be oil
id. Cottagers paid Mr.. Graham
teen cents per day through the CT
miner months for three years for fl
cir automobiles to stand under the h;
ade of a willow tree, and of course NJ
rough all that time they were eX- ii
sed to the many storms which at hC
: beach are more severe than else
Iere. da
This was before the road back of
: cottages was built and when the in
.tagers had to carry their lug tn
ge, produce and ice across the dr
Id. Several of the people who to
ned cottages got together and Al
ployed a lawyer and soon an or
of court was issued allowing a sh
I'd to be. built from Slaughter to SC
1ar Beach. of
The building of this road ended
J troubles of the people of the BIZ
lch as they could now have their be
n garages and leave the Grahams liz
ne, and the revenue which they tn
eived from automobiles standing tn
Ter tree at fifteen cents per day hi,
81.