Over a Century of History:
The Naples Hotel. 

The Naples Hotel, a local landmark with over a century of history, began as a stop-over for travelers— a scenic midway stop between Canandaigua and Bath. In 1818, a pioneer named Simeon Lyon built a simple two-story wooden structure on the site of the current hotel, calling it the Lyon Tavern. This original site encompassed almost all the business district today in Naples. Soldiers under George Washington or his commanders assembled in the large park to the North of the tavern to train in uniform once a year. The tavern was a stopping point on the old stagecoach line between Geneva, Dansville, and Bath, before the railroad was built. Coaches would stop at the inn for the night for a home-cooked meal and a change of horses before continuing on the next day. For years the tavern was the only structure on what now is Main Street Naples. Eventually, Simeon Lyon built several other buildings on the property, creating the first business development of Naples a mile South of where the pioneer settlement initially began in Naples.

In 1854, a man named James Kearney purchased the property and ran the Lyon Tavern until 1857, then sold the building and land to Carlton Jaqua in 1863, who managed the tavern for an additional 30 years where it became known as the Jaqua House. In 1893, the tavern was sold again to Jeff Brown. He sold the old wooden tavern structure originally build by Simeon Lyon , which was removed from the property. He then build the brick structure— the very same still standing today— in 1895. The original garden and park are now business blocks in Naples.