Sometimes a single old photograph is all it takes to send me down a rabbit hole of local history.
That happened earlier today when the Yates County History Center shared a photograph of Craugh's Restaurant on Facebook. I'd never heard of it before—it was long before our time—but something about that old storefront immediately captured my curiosity.
Who was Richard Craugh? Where exactly was the restaurant? What did they serve? Was the building still standing?
Before long, I found myself doing what I love most... digging through old directories, newspapers, and historical records, determined to uncover the story behind one forgotten Main Street restaurant.
What I discovered was much more than the history of a bakery and lunch room. It was the story of a businessman, a gathering place, and another wonderful piece of Penn Yan's rich past that deserves to be remembered.
It Began with a Baker
Every great restaurant has a beginning, and Craugh's story started with a young baker named Richard J. Craugh.
For years, Richard worked for Penn Yan baker Mr. Ranney, learning the craft before purchasing the bakery business in
1902. Under his ownership, the bakery quickly earned a reputation for quality breads, pastries, cakes, and confectionery, becoming one of Penn Yan's best-known businesses.
But Richard Craugh wasn't content with simply baking bread.
He envisioned something more than a bakery. He wanted to create a place where people could gather—a place where a loaf of fresh bread, a cup of coffee, or a hearty meal might become the backdrop for conversations, friendships, and community.
From Bakery to Restaurant
In November 1906, Penn Yan newspapers announced that Richard Craugh had opened a handsome dining room on the second floor of his bakery.
For a growing village, this was something special.
Customers who had long visited for fresh bread and pastries could now enjoy a sit-down meal in comfortable surroundings. Within a year, newspaper advertisements were promoting both the bakery and its dining room.
By 1908, newspapers were referring to Craugh's Lunch Room, confirming that what began as a neighborhood bakery had grown into one of Penn Yan's favorite gathering places.
Home at 118 Main Street
One of the most exciting discoveries during this research was identifying the exact location of Craugh's Restaurant.
It occupied 118 Main Street, right in the heart of downtown Penn Yan.
A 1913 Penn Yan business directory lists:
Richard J. Craugh — Baker — 118 Main Street
The commercial building itself dates to approximately 1880, meaning it had already stood for more than twenty years before Richard Craugh purchased the bakery.
As I looked at that old photograph, I couldn't help but imagine standing there over a century ago.
Brick streets stretched before me.
Shopkeepers swept their sidewalks before opening for the day.
Children hurried past on errands for their mothers.
Neighbors paused to visit on the corner.
And through the front windows of Craugh's Restaurant, customers enjoyed lunch while watching the everyday life of Penn Yan unfold outside.
More Than a Restaurant
Like many successful businesses of its day, Craugh's was much more than a restaurant.
It was:
a bakery,
a confectionery,
a lunch room,
a caterer,
and perhaps most importantly...a community gathering place.
Fresh bread, cakes, pastries, chocolates, coffee, doughnuts, and holiday treats all came from its ovens.
One Christmas advertisement encouraged customers to place their holiday ice cream orders early.
Another account tells of Richard Craugh providing hot coffee and fried cakes to firefighters battling one of Penn Yan's devastating fires—a simple act of kindness that speaks volumes about both the man and his business.
It wasn't simply about selling food.
It was about taking care of neighbors.
Looking Closely at the Photograph
The more I studied the photograph, the more details emerged.
The elegant hand-painted lettering.
The striped café curtains.
The large display windows.
The recessed entrance inviting customers inside.
Outside, Main Street was still paved with brick.
It's easy to picture the scene.
A Model A Ford parked at the curb.
A horse and wagon passing by.
The smell of fresh cinnamon rolls drifting through the open doorway.
The bell jingling overhead as another familiar face stepped inside.
Restaurants like Craugh's weren't simply places to eat.
They were where birthdays were celebrated.
Where traveling salesmen stopped for lunch.
Where neighbors exchanged news.
Where lifelong friendships quietly grew over countless cups of coffee.
Richard Craugh's Legacy
Richard J. Craugh devoted nearly forty years to serving Penn Yan.
When he passed away in 1941, newspapers remembered him as a longtime baker and restaurant owner whose business had become part of everyday village life.
Although the restaurant eventually disappeared, its story did not.
Its walls remained.
Its memories endured.
A New Chapter
Today, 118 Main Street continues serving downtown Penn Yan in a different way.
The ground floor is now home to Keuka Outlet, while the upper floor has found new life as a loft apartment.
The ornate Victorian storefront has been remodeled over the years, yet the building's proportions remain remarkably familiar.
The same brick walls.
The same location.
The same place where generations once gathered over fresh coffee and warm bread.
I often think that's one of the beautiful things about old downtown buildings.
Businesses come and go.
Generations change.
Yet somehow the buildings themselves quietly keep the stories.
History Still Waiting to Be Found
One of the wonderful things about local history is that every answer uncovers another mystery.
While we've confirmed the address and traced the early history of Craugh's Restaurant, there are still treasures waiting to be discovered.
Perhaps somewhere in an old family scrapbook...
...a forgotten photo album...
...or tucked safely inside an attic...
there is:
an original Craugh's menu,
photographs of the dining room,
employee portraits,
bakery recipes,
or stories handed down through generations.
If your family has any connection to Craugh's Restaurant, I'd love to hear from you.
Those are the stories that truly bring history to life.
A Note from Keuka Roots 🌿
This is exactly why I love what I do.
One old photograph.
One question.
A couple hours spent chasing history.
And suddenly another forgotten chapter of the Keuka Lake Region begins to come back to life.
Sometimes the stories we uncover are about famous inventors like Glenn Curtiss.
Sometimes they're about vineyards, steamboats, or old hotels.
And sometimes...
they're about an ordinary little restaurant where ordinary people lived extraordinary everyday lives.
The next time you're strolling down Main Street in Penn Yan, pause for just a moment outside 118 Main Street.
Imagine the smell of fresh bread.
Listen for the clink of coffee cups.
Picture neighbors laughing around small wooden tables.
And remember that more than a century ago, Richard Craugh welcomed people through those doors with the same simple goal shared by every great small-town restaurant—to make people feel at home.
Because history isn't always found in museums.
Sometimes...
it's waiting quietly behind an old storefront.
Stay Rooted. Stay Keuka. 🌿💙
References
Penn Yan City Directory (1913), listing Richard J. Craugh, baker, 118 Main Street.
History of Yates County (E. H. Hopkins), documenting Richard J. Craugh's purchase of the bakery business from Mr. Ranney in 1902 and the growth of Craugh's Bakery.
Penn Yan Democrat and Yates County Chronicle newspaper articles (1906–1908) announcing the opening of Craugh's dining room and references to Craugh's Lunch Room.
St. Michael's Cemetery records documenting Richard J. Craugh (1865–1941).
Village of Penn Yan Historic Preservation resources identifying the historic commercial building at 118 Main Street.
