The esperanza mansion
Keuka Lake, NY
September 5, 2020
Investigators on site: Jennifer, Tracy and Tim along with Joe to observe
We are currently still researching the history of this propery - we are interested in not only the owners, but also the staff and the living conditions.
This is what we found online so far.This is what we used to fuel our questions throughout the night.
The Esperanza Mansion was built by John Nicholas Rose and his wife Jane Macomb. The Rose family lived in the home until 1870. During that time, Rose became one of the wealthiest citizens in the area. The mansion changed hands several times in the subsequent years:
• 1873: Clinton Snow bought the farm from the Roses. He was a vineyardist and an authority on grape culture.
• 1903: Wendel T. Bush, a financier from New York City, purchased the mansion as his summer home. He made major renovations and changed the landscaping. His wife, Mrs. Bush launched the Yates County’ Women's Suffrage campaign there in 1911.
• 1912: Clinton Struble purchased the property. He was a local man from Penn Yan.
• 1922: Yates County bought the mansion and converted it to a county home. The county installed plumbing, heating, electric lights, and fire escapes.
• 1948: The county could no longer afford to maintain the property, selling it to Garrett Bacorn. He did not inhabit it and it was vacant and severely vandalized over the next 20 years.
• 1967: Betty Bader purchased the mansion to establish a gallery for local artists. She died before restoration was complete.
• 1979: The mansion became the home of Chateau Esperanza Winery.
• 1985 - A real estate developer proposed a restoration of the mansion for a hotel, in addition to several townhouses on the land uphill from the mansion. Real estate values suddenly changed, and the plans were scrapped.
• [Date not known] - Shay and Edwards purchased the property for a bed and breakfast with a restaurant, but the repairs and maintenance were too extensive.
• 2002 – David and Lisa Wegman purchased the property, completely renovating it.
• 2003 – After major rehabilitation, Esperanza Mansion was reopened as a 22-room inn and banquet facility.
• 2016 – The facility was closed.
• 2017 – Banquet workers settled a class action lawsuit alleging that customers paid mandatory service charges that were not passed onto them. That same year the mansion went into foreclosure.
• 2018 – The property went up for public auction, but there were no bids.
• 2019 - Purchased at bank auction and put under complete restoration.
• August 2019 - Larry/Elizabeth Mehlenbacher and Todd/Mary Alexander reopen Esperanza mansion as a casual fine dining restaurant with 30 rooms to stay overnight in as well as a banquet room occupying at most 250 people.
Conclusion:
We received a lot of interactions on this night. Between some objects being moved, to feelings of thick static, to many voices. There were so many voices that we did not hear at the time. Voices of people offering to help us carry things, welcoming us into the mansion and some that did not want to be bothered. We feel that we have only scratched the surface of the many levels of activity here, and we are please to announce that we will be back to thoroughly continue our research in the near future.
Please visit our Youtube Channel and our Facebook page for more videos!
