Crevolin Family Builds, Then Rebuilds, Beechwood  In Cape Vincent After Fire Destroyed Original

Originally built c.1840 and later home to Henry Joseph and Cornelia Rosetta Calvin Crevolin, Beechwood was destroyed by fire shortly before the birth of their daughter, Caroline Josephine in 1854. Henry Joseph Crevolin’s parents had purchased the land from Vincent D. Le Ray de Chaumont whose “Stone House” was constructed just 1,600+ feet down the road by Vincent’s father, James Donation Le Ray de Chaumont, in 1815.

Undeterred, the Crevolins rebuilt Beechwood, but not before the birth of Caroline, which occurred at the Cup and Saucer house. Constructed in 1816 by Count Pierre Francois Real as a refuge for Napoleon, the Cup and Saucer house was loaned to the Crevolins by the Peugeot family during the reconstruction of Beechwood.

Caroline’s obituary, then a widow of Lawton William Soule, in the April 13, 1936, Watertown Daily Times gave some additional information regarding the family’s history–

The Beechwood, located on the road to Tibbet’s Point Lighthouse was originally built and occupied by Mrs. Soule’s paternal grandparents, Henry and Madame (Annette) Crevolin.  Henry later had the St. Lawrence hotel, which later became the Algonquin, built in the village.

This last part regarding the St. Lawrence hotel contradicts the David F. Lane article from his series Old Mansions of the North Country, published July 24, 1943, which stated Henry Joseph Crevolin (Henry Crevolin’s son) built it three years before his death in 1887.

Caroline Josephine lived in Beechwood until she married Lawton William Soule, a native of Watertown, on January 21, 1880.

After Beechwood went through a number of owners in the ensuing decades, notably Mr. and Mrs. Robert Boyd of New York, and eventually Alfred J. Phinney, owner of the Iroquois Door Company of Buffalo, who made it his summer home. In 1930, Phinney spent over $75,000 renovating Beechwood, which included the two-story portico.

In 1942, ownership was transferred to Colonel and Mrs. Harold (Margaret) Remington, who also had ties to James Donation Le Ray de Chaumont, having owned the LeRay Mansion in LeRaysville.  Built c. 1825, the LeRay Mansion was commandeered by the Federal Government in 1941 and is now part of present-day Fort Drum, leaving the Remingtons to search for a new home.

Beechwood became available when the Phinneys had relocated to Santa Monica, California, in 1942, and the mansion in Cape Vincent shares a similar portico as the LeRay Mansion (though 800 ft. of waterfront property along the St. Lawrence River most likely proved to be a selling point as well.)

The Remingtons ultimately received a settlement from the U.S. Government for the LeRay Mansion in the amount of $57,000.  In 1944, Remington purchased another historic property, the Henry Brown farm a mile from Brownville. Henry was an uncle to Major General Jacob Brown, and the property included the old limestone Georgian colonial mansion and 359 acres of land.

The Remingtons continued to make Beechwood their primary residence, though they spent some winters at Hotel Woodruff in Watertown. They hosted many social gatherings, fundraisers, meetings, and events, such as guided tours by Mrs. Remington at Beechwood over the years.   

Harold Remington died in July of 1967 at the age of 83. A member of one of Watertown’s most prominent families, was a retired colonel of the army reserve and former owner and operator of the old Kamargo Supply company in Watertown and served as a captain in the army in France during WWI. Before his time in France, he attended the First Officers’ Training camp at Madison Barracks in Sackets Harbor.  

After over 30 years in the Remington family, Beechwood was sold in September of 1975.  The Watertown Daily Times reported of the sale—

“Beechwood,” a 16-room brick mansion of Southern colonial design on the Tibbetts Point Road at the edge of Cape Vincent and overlooking the St. Lawrence River, has been sold by Mrs. Margaret H. Remington to Mr. and Mrs. Barry Mills, Montclair, N.J.

Mrs. Remington, who acquired the property in 1942 with her late husband, Col. Harold Remington, resided at “Beechwood” the year-round, although she has a winter home in Naples, Fla.  

From a commanding elevation on a site at the joining of the Pleasant Valley and Broadway-Tibbetts Point roads, the mansion faces northward across the St. Lawrence River towards Kingston, Ont. 

Mrs. Remington passed away in early September 1979, at the age of 92, in Naples, Fla.  She was buried alongside her husband at Brookside Cemetery in Watertown.  

In 1985, Beechwood, along with the Bragden House, Maple Grove, and the servant’s quarters for the Stone House, along with the Stone House, were grouped to form the Broadway Historic District as the properties were amongst 26 others in the town of Cape Vincent to be nominated for the State Register of Historic Places. The District joined the National Registry of Historic Places later that same month.

Interesting Tidbits

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Watertown acquired the property on Feb. 4, 1887, but sold it a little over four years later, in July of 1891, to Cornelia A. Fox, a member of the Crevolin family. The Sisters of St. Joseph later bought the Roth mansion on Washington Street in Watertown in 1916 for use as a musical conservatory.  

In 1968, a movie was filmed inside and around the grounds of Beechwood. The film’s title started as “Sleep Deep Marguerite” but later changed to “Sleep Deep.” Whether its name changed again, or it was never released, is uncertain as no further information could be found regarding it.