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…the water rushes on as madly magnificent now as it did then, & still retains the youthful vivacity which made me rather envious of the Falls. EJP
When we made the decision to stop at Niagara Falls on our trip west, I was unaware that, as on some other trips we have taken, I was walking in the steps of our great-great grandmother, E.J. Phillips (EJP). She wrote to her son (my great-grandfather) from Niagara Falls, where she was engaged to perform at the theater there.
Niagara Falls, N.Y. Novr 28th 1892
My dear Son,
We arrived here about 1:30 PM yesterday. After dinner took a walk to the Falls. Walking was not very pleasant and the wind rather cold, but I enjoyed seeing the grand old majestic Falls once more. 48 years since I first saw them [in 1844 at age 14]. I found many changes, but the water rushes on as madly magnificent now as it did then, & still retains the youthful vivacity which made me rather envious of the Falls.
I have not been to the Theatre yet. It is only three blocks distant from this hotel. I do not think we shall have many tonight, the weather being so bad and the large hotels are closed for the season.
During our late April visit it was rainy—no ice. The misty weather kept the crowds down: rain tends to do that. Yet, when visiting the falls, visitors must expect to get wet! Which we did.
After waiting 48 years to return to Niagara Falls, EJ’s next visit was just two years later, an overnight stop between theater engagements in Buffalo and Toronto. Her visit was, like our own, brief. She wrote to her son, Albert Edward Nickinson, from Toronto, the day after she had been in Niagara, New York.
Rossin House, Toronto Canada, [Monday, Dec. 24], Xmas eve 1894
My dear Son,
I did hope to have posted a letter to reach you all, on Xmas morn, but I am too late. Left Buffalo 1:30 PM Sunday, [Dec. 23] reached Niagara Falls an hour later—went sight seeing — stopped at the Kaltenbach Hotel all night.
Her December 1894 letter to her son Albert related that she spent a single night at the Hotel Kaltenbach. The hotel had opened in 1878 but was torn down in the 1920s to make way for the Red Coach Inn. Still welcoming guests today, the Inn, (and thus the Hotel Kaltenbach in its time) overlooks the Upper Rapids, a tumultuous portion of the Niagara River just upstream from Horseshoe Falls.
She arrived in Niagara around 2:30 in the afternoon, December 23rd and explored the area. Did she take one of the local horse-drawn cars when she set out to get a view of the falls? Electric trolley cars had begun to replace horse cars in the year or two before this visit. Perhaps she stepped onto one of these new modes of transportation to take in the sights.
While journeying by train in the late 1800s was quicker than by boat or road, modern day trips by air or on highways take us farther and faster than EJ could have imagined. This 1894 letter noted that she was traveling from Buffalo, NY to Toronto, from one theater engagement to the next. We, on the other hand, were traveling for pleasure.
Our own visit to the falls was even briefer than hers, only an hour or so. She stayed overnight in Niagara before traveling to Toronto the next day. After stopping at the falls in the morning we found a place to stay that night in Indiana, after traveling the width of Ohio with our truck and camper.
As we walked on the paths of Niagara Falls State Park, much of it located on Goat Island, we were met by the sound (a din, really) of the rapids as they approach the falls. After viewing the Canadian Falls, we headed upstream on a paved path adjacent to the river.
An unrelenting roar from water crashing against the rocks fills the air. Today, guests of the Red Coach Inn can both see and hear the rapids. Surely EJP was witness to the same spectacle we enjoyed. I picture her at the Hotel Kaltenbach, appreciating the overwhelming power of the mighty Niagara River.
Travel, whether for business or pleasure, can be, and often is draining. Since her stay at Niagara Falls was not a stop required for work, I like to think she purposely made time to catch her breath there before moving on to her next acting job.
Two days later, in a letter she wrote to her daughter-in-law, Neppie, (Albert’s wife, Penelope), she provided more detail about this 1894 visit to the falls than in her previous letter to Albert.
The Rossin House, Toronto Canada, Dec 26th 1894
My dear daughter Neppie,
I hope yesterday was a very happy day for you all. It was a very quiet day for me—for before I got up, word was brought to me that there would be no Matinee on account of Miss [Olga] Nethersole having a very severe cold – so I concluded to keep quiet and did not get up until after 11 o’clock.
Took dinner at 3 and read during the rest of the day – went to work at seven, Transgressor being the bill. We had a fine house. Miss Nethersole’s cold was still bad- but she got through having had two doctors – one a throat specialist – and I hear she is a little better this morning, but the weather has turned very cold and I am afraid it will not be very good for her to come out tonight – for it has been trying to snow.
Miss Nethersole caught cold at [Niagara] Falls. She left Buffalo after the performance on Saturday night and went to the Falls with her maid and her dog – stayed up to see the Falls by moonlight – 4 AM. Was out early again in the morning and walked about – had dinner at 3 PM and then went driving in an open wagon until six. Consequently [she] could scarcely speak on Monday morning.
I had told her to be careful – the air is always damp from the spray rising from the Falls – and is very apt to give cold the hottest day in summer. Sunday was a lovely day and the air just crisp enough to be very enticing. I took a long walk, but did not go riding and have no cold.
My love and Kisses to you dear children. Your loving Mother
Many of EJ’s letters express dismay about missing yet another holiday or other family event because of her work. Yet her writing also reveals the pride and pleasure she derived from performing and from being on stage with a lively acting troupe.
Emminently practical, EJ apparently wasted little time thinking about what might have been. As with most of us, her world was not black or white. She surely had mixed feelings about her work, since she loved her children dearly, and supported them well throughout their childhood. Yet her work on the stage in cities across the country consistently took her far from home. She continued working to support herself long after her children were grown, appearing on stage up until the year or so before she died.
In these times of frenetic busyness, we do well to take advantage of opportunities to stop and simply look and listen to our surroundings. Making it a priority, as EJ did, is a worthwhile example to follow.
Read more about my family’s visit to Niagara Falls, 2024, in this blog post
Marjorie Turner Hollman
For a comprehensive collection of letters and information related to EJ Phillips, visit: Life and Times of Actress EJ Phillips
None of these articles would have been possible without the transcription of EJ’s letters by Em Turner Nickinson Kuhl (Great-grand daughter of EJ)
and for the extensive research conducted the past 30 years by Mary Glen Kuhl Chitty. much, much more information about EJ: https://www.maryglenchitty.com/
Marjorie Turner Hollman 