The history of the Empire Hotel
Michael Smith had arrived at Lambing Flat in the very early days of the rush and most likely tried his hand at prospecting before opening his “Railway Store” at Spring Creek in June 1861.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
His store was located below Metcalfe’s Sydney Hotel.
Why was it was named “Railway?”
Maybe it was because Spring Creek was closer to Sydney than Lambing Flat was!
The licence of the Empire Hotel was transferred from William Saunders to Michael Shmith in December 1861.
This Empire Hotel is not to be confused with the Empire Hotel at the southern end of Main Street which was situated in the vicinity of where the Captain Cook Weir is located and financed by Jeremiah Lehane and licenced to his son-in-law John Vicq.
It was at this hotel that the inquest into the death of William Lupton was held.
William Lupton was accidentally shot in the neck during the attack by the rioting European miners on the Police camp on the 30th June, 1861.
This Empire Hotel was sold to Charles Quail and he changed the name to the Royal to avoid confusion with Shmith’s Empire Hotel at the other end of Main Street .
When Shmith transferred from Spring Creek village he brought his “Railway Store” with him, and it operated adjacent to the hotel.
He also added a Dance Hall in competition to Barnett Phillip’s “Diggers” Theatre down the other end of Main Street.
And after that he enlarged the stables so they “could accommodate half the horses of Burrangong,” Shmith sold his Railway Stores to S. Moses and Sons in July 1862.
Some time in 1862 the Empire was lucky to survive a fire which occurred in the dead of night which might have demolished the premises.
It was caused by the groom going to sleep with a soft, wobbly candle.
Michael retired in 1862 and had obviously done well as he owned a lot of blocks around the town.
After Michael Shmith’s death, in 1872, his widow married T .Coleman of the Police Force.
A grandson, Fred Shmith, was a violinist in the “Gloom Chasers” Orchestra.
Fred Shmith owned land bounded by Fontenoy (then Red Hill Rd) Street and Cram Av. and which was locally known as Shmith’s Hill.
J. G. Tedder, a local Post Office official married a daughter of Michael’s.
In 1881 the old Empire was completely consumed by fire, as it was entirely built of timber.
The wooden stables and the Cobb & Co shed were also destroyed.
All the Fire Brigade could do was save the stables of the Commercial Hotel, which was on the other side of the lane.
Also destroyed were two coaches and a buggy belonging to Cobb & Co which were in their shed.
