A Brief History of The Gatehouse
Since erecting this building in 1827, it has provided the town of Morris with a sense of community. At first, it was a two-story house owned by Benajah Davis. It was painted white on three sides and red on the north with a piazza in front and a seat on each side. By 1857, The Davis House was enlarged for a hotel.
From 1870-1878, the building was no longer a hotel and was rented out to a variety of businesses and families. These include a tailor shop by James Little, a barber shop by Pete Toussaint, Good Templars, a feed store by J.W. Dunbar, a millinery store by Mrs. Stanton, and a dental office for By Peters.
In 1878, Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer Watson reopened the house as a hotel. J.W. Dunbar had a feed and flour store in the hotel's basement.
Devastatingly, on Sept 8, 1883, The Watson Hotel was destroyed by a fire that burned everything from Broad Street to the creek, along with 19 other buildings.
Drawing of The Great Fire of Morris, Sept. 1883, which shows the burning of the Watson House (which had just been built, replacing a smaller hotel in the spring of that year).
The people of Morris showed up for their community in droves. People came from the hills and up and down the creek, to lend a helping hand. Rebuilding began immediately and by May 1884 the hotel was completed.
In 1892, James P. Kenyon bought The Watson House. You bought a wagon from him, shopped in his drug store, rented his house, stayed at his hotel and your money was in his bank. No one man shaped, influenced, and directed the character of Morris Village for nearly 70 years as J. P. Kenyon.
Naturally, The Kenyon House became the center of the social whirl in Morris. Travelers, drummers, honeymooners, and families stopped by. Itinerant doctors, dentists, and opticians made weekly or monthly visits. Merchants and milliners stopped by to peddle their wares. Dance classes, baseball team meetings, festivals, suppers, and hops all found a home at the Kenyon House.
Kenyon passed away at age 89 in 1910. His son Linn B. Kenyon, who had been running the machine shop and taking over responsibilities as his father aged inherited the estate and began rationalizing it after James' death.
"E.S. Watson, Proprietor" of Kenyon House, printed on an envelope with a postmark of July 10, 1900
Postcard of the Kenyon House circa 1900
In 1923, The Gage Brothers opened a grocery and bakery in the building, which lasted into the 1950’s. They had purchased and remodeled with plate glass windows and a brick front and later obtained a beer license in 1956.
In 1984, Virginia Gregory, Peter Gregory, and Audrey Gregory purchased the building for their antique business, The Gatehouse Antiques, which had originated (in 1966) in the gatehouse of The Grove, Morris, where Clifford and Virginia Gregory lived.
In 2001, Gary Norman started his business, Gatehouse Books, in the building. Audrey uncovered the 1892 paint colors used by J.P. Kenyon and had the building painted to match.
Today The Gatehouse Coffee Shop continues to provide the town of Morris with a strong sense of community. Chris Riffle and Timothy Atticus have been activating the space with concerts, flower-arranging workshops, cooking classes, poetry readings, and many other events from their coffee shop and mercantile.