Two-sided Painted "Canal Hotel" Tavern Sign, Port Jervis, New York, c. 1826, the sign with scroll top and turned frame inscribed "CANAL HOUSE" illustrating the yellow-painted house, yellow- and red-painted canal boat being hauled by a horse, and "S. St. JOHN" in gilt letters on a black smalted background, ht. 41, wd. 32 in. Provenance: Marguerite Riordan; Fred Giampetro. Note: The Canal Hotel was operated by Stephen St. John between 1826 and 1828. The building, a military blockhouse in its earlier form, built prior to 1760, was known as Fort Decker. It was renovated into a private dwelling in 1793 and was sold to Stephen St. John in 1819. The hotel was used to lodge laborers constructing the Delaware and Hudson Canal in the late 1820s. Today the house is maintained by the Minisink Valley Historical Society & Museum. The property of Brian and Pam Ehrlich