WILLSEY HALL · BAINBRIDGE, NEW YORK
Our Building & Our History
The story of the Backdoor Bar & Grille begins long before there was a Backdoor. Our home at historic Willsey Hall, 11 West Main Street, stands within a downtown shaped by more than two centuries of Bainbridge history. Early records describe the Central House, built in 1806, as one of the village’s early landmarks and a stopping place along the old stage route through the Susquehanna Valley. Isaac H. Willsey came to Bainbridge in the 1870s, purchased the Central Hotel property, and became deeply involved in the business and civic life of the village. Under the Willsey family, the property grew into a well-known local hotel and gathering place, part of the bustling Main Street that generations of Bainbridge residents would recognize as the heart of their community.
Bainbridge itself has always been a town built around people who worked, gathered, traded, celebrated and looked out for their neighbors. Its story, preserved through local records and works such as The Stones of Jericho, lives not only in dates and photographs, but in the buildings that remain standing and the businesses that continue to fill them with life. Today, the Backdoor Bar & Grille is proud to be another chapter in that story. We believe historic buildings are meant to be more than monuments to what used to be. They should still have people walking through the doors, meeting friends, sharing meals and making new memories. Preserving the character and legacy of Willsey Hall while giving it a future is something we take seriously, because this building belongs to Bainbridge’s story long after any one business or owner.