hole for locals and travelers , with its close proximity to the Erie Extension Canal . Isobella passed away in 1866 at the age of 93 , but the home she built continued and evolved with the changing times . As the canal days faded into history , the home became a stagecoach stop . Finally , with the advent of train travel , stagecoaches also became obsolete , and with them , the need for the many inns along the stagecoach routes .
Isobella ’ s son Andrew made a major pivot when he converted The Nicholson Inn to a general store called Asbury Place . The store continued the business success of the Nicholson family , and six generations have called the historic brick house home . It was added to the National Register of Historic Homes in 1985 .
When the house was eventually put up for sale , it required a special buyer with the desire to take on an historic building with period features . This is where David and Jennifer Wedzik came in . The local couple had been operating a successful business in Erie called Escape Game since 2015 . When the Nicholson House became available in 2017 , they knew they wanted it for their business .
For the uninitiated , an escape room is a relatively new form of entertainment , where teams of friends or family ( usually four or five ) are locked in a room and have to work together to solve puzzles and challenges in order to “ escape ” the room . It ’ s a total immersion experience that takes place on a set , or a room that has been decorated in a certain theme , and the challenges are based on the theme . David describes it as “ MacGyver meets Mission Impossible .”
Jennifer explains , “ We love historical buildings ! When we were looking for a spot to expand our business from our downtown location , we thought it would be a good fit for our business . It ’ s the oldest house in Millcreek and just beautiful .”
Renovating an historic home can be tricky , with all the changes having to be approved . However , despite the historic designation of the Nicholson House , approval is only required once federal funds have been accepted . No one had ever applied for federal funds , which meant that no permission was required .
Regardless of the lack of oversight , the Wedziks say that 95 percent of the first floor is exactly as it was . The upstairs rooms were modified to become the escape room settings , but the changes were merely superficial with no structural changes . They were able to accomplish this by putting up interior walls in front of the original walls to protect the main structure .
Although the Nicholson family took much of the period furniture with them when
vacating the home , the Wedziks found many spinning wheels that had been there since the late 1800s .
They were also fascinated with the basement . “ Structurally , the first thing you notice is the massive 40-foot , hand-hewn beam that supports the whole house ,” says Jennifer . “ This one beam has held up this house for all these years and is still solid .”
All the trees used in the house were from the immediate area , including the lovely original floors made of chestnut and hickory .
When the couple turned their attention toward creating the Escape Game sets , they drew from local history . One room is named “ Escape the Niagara ,” which is a nod to the famous USS Niagara of 1813 construction . For the game , you are in the captain ’ s quarters with plenty of nautical inspiration .
Another room is based on Axe Murder Hollow , an Erie legend , albeit one that has never been proved . Supposedly a farmer caught his wife with another man and hacked them to death , although there is no record of this event ever happening . Thankfully , Escape Game ’ s room is way more fun , and far less dangerous .
The entrepreneurial Wedziks have had challenges , as most small business owners have experienced lately . “ Just as a reflection on the last two years , it ’ s been a bit rocky . But we ’ re seeing things settle back to normal , with people coming again for corporate events , birthday parties and fun evenings out . It ’ s good to see it coming back ,” says Jennifer .
David adds , “ We ’ ve had people just driving by stop in and say , “ Can we just look around ? In fact , many people schedule an event just to see the inside of the house .”
Isobella Nicholson herself would likely be pleased to see the house welcoming visitors once again — especially when they ’ re having so much fun . n
MILLCREEK ❘ SPRING 2023 39