Miss Olmsted's Normandy Inn

By Pamela Lee

The story of the Normandy Inn, its founder Katherine Olmsted and the successive ownership over the subsequent years. The main building is a barn, built in the 1800s and this story chronicles the changes and additions from 1927 - 2023, as well as how the business weathered major U.S. historical events; the Great Depression and World War II.&

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pamela Lee
• Release date: Jan 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798218268855

Book preview

Miss Olmsted's Normandy Inn

Miss Olmsted's Normandy Inn

Pamela Lee

Tigerlily Farm Productions, LLC

Front cover image Normandy Inn Menu 1960, Photo Pamela Lee, courtesty of Donna D'Ercole Douglas private collection. 

Copyright © 2023 by Pamela Lee

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Printing, 2023

DEDICATION

Terri Sanford

Miss Olmsted's Normandy Inn was created due to my friend Terri Sanford's curiosity about the history of her building.  This book is dedicated to Terri.  She has always been there when I needed her the most.  Many people benefit from Terri's kindness and gentle spirit, just as I have.    

My Grandmothers

This book is also dedicated to my grandmother, Marguerite Brill Wilson, and great grandmother, Maude Woodhouse Brill, two wonderful and strong ladies that lived through World War I, Women's First Right to Vote, Polio Epidemic, the Great Depression and World War II.  They told me stories about their lifetime experiences and I selected some to share with you, dear reader.  

Acknowledgements

Thank you for research assistance of this book to Sandi Hamilton, President Town of Sodus Historical Society who helped me locate much of the history, people to interview and even found some potential recipes, and Edson Ennis, Wayne County Museum of History Board Member, for sharing artifacts, locating people to interview and telling me his funny stories. 

A special thank you to those who agreed to be interviewed and described their experiences at the Normandy Inn; Betty DeMent, Donna D’Ercole Douglas, Pete and Jan Mastracy, Rita Kilpatrick, Amy Tindall, Miranda Almekinder, Jim Hoyt, Terri Sanford and Erin Atkins.  All of you have helped keep this property going over the years, so that the community can continue to enjoy the building and history. 

I am so very grateful for Mr. Stefan Uveges, former English Professor, for proof reading and offering suggestions to put polish on this project.  You are the Best! 

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

chapter

1 Establishing a Normandy, France Experience

2 A New Building

3 Time to Grow Again

4 Adding A Gift Shop

5 The Great Depression

6 World War II Impact

7 Winters in New York

8 Emerging Renewed

9 Atmosphere at Normandy Inn

10 The People of Normandy Inn

11 The Business Woman

12 Supporting the Youth

13 Unofficial Normandy Inn Recipes

14 Unfortunate End Of An Era

15 Carrying On A Tradition

16 Keeper of the History

17 A Brief Interlude

18 Vision to the Future

REFERENCES

Coming Soon!

About The Author

Miss Olmsted's Normandy Inn

1

Establishing a Normandy, France Experience

The history of the Normandy Inn involves both a developed concept, as well as a physical location. Located in Sodus, New York, the building originated as a barn, then was used as a restaurant through three ownerships, an auction house/feed store and finally a feed store/artisan co-op. The rise to fame of the Normandy Inn requires the telling of the founder, Miss Katherine Olmsted, and the development of her business concept.

The Normandy Inn development story is unusual and it is important share before the facts are lost to time. Katherine Olmsted started out as a nurse during the first half of her career life and during the second half, created a new career as a Cordon Bleu Chef and owner of the Normandy Inn. In the process of pursuing her life’s dream, she impacted an entire community with her kindness and provided employment to many families over a thirty-six year time span. This was not an easy task during the Great Depression when unemployment was high and people could not find work. Katherine’s vision for the Normandy Inn became enormously popular and had far appeal, well throughout the states and beyond. She was a person who accomplished so much in one lifetime. It is hopeful that others may find inspiration from the retelling of the story of Katherine Olmsted’s life experience.

The story begins by summarizing Katherine Olmsted’s early years. The Arms’ Crossroads Wallington, compiled by the Wallington Schoolhouse Restoration Committee, does an excellent job in preserving the history of Katherine’s younger days and also providing stories of local residents at that time.

Katherine Olmsted was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. Her mother, Emma Lent Olmsted, was the daughter of Charles Lent, a successful fruit grower in Wallington, New York. Katherine’s father was Augustus L. Olmsted, who managed a branch of the Olmsted Saddlery Company. Katherine’s family visited her grandparents in Wallington each summer and later, Katherine herself would visit when on vacation from her nursing duties. (Wallington 1982, 68)

Katherine documented her education and nursing career choices in a resume, a copy of which is housed in her Red Cross Service file, found in the National Archives.

Katherine applied to the Red Cross reserves in 1914. According to her Red Cross service file, housed at the National Archives, she was a very outspoken individual, especially when it came to making things right for the public she served. Katherine’s service file is a mixed bag; peppered with reprimands from Red Cross staff, letters from Katherine requesting brochures to hand out, and requests from many organizations for her to speak at meetings/banquets. She was a real advocate for the people that she served and accomplished so much in every position she held. In July 1917, Katherine was finally tapped by the Red Cross to serve as a nurse, overseas in Roumania during World War I. Several months into this assignment, the unit of Red Cross nurses and doctors encountered a siege by the Germans and escaped out of Russia to Murmansk, 150 miles above the Arctic Circle.

Following her return to the U.S. in May 1918, Katherine began lecturing and telling of her war time experiences for a few months. Afterwards, she returned to public health nursing. The Red Cross continued to offer her employment, especially overseas, but Katherine preferred to remain stateside. She was a sought after nurse and on February 26, 1919 the Red Cross Acting Director, Department of Nursing wrote, "We recognize Miss Olmsted as one who meets all our requirements and has shown capable of putting our message across in an