1797 - Simeon DePuy, one of the most prominent citizens of High Falls, NY
opened the Stone House Tavern.

1825 - Work on the Delaware-Hudson Canal began, a project destined to link
towns from Rondout-on-the-Hudson to Honesdale, PA. Simeon DePuy, by then an experienced restaurateur, profitted well during this time catering to hungry and thirsty Canal workers.

1826 - The D & H Canal opened ushering in a new era of cargo transport that operated for over 70 years. Simeon DePuy's eatery was the site of Lock 16. His business flourished as the canalmen, called the "roughest, toughest, fightenest" bunch of the profession, refueled at the tavern-on-the-water.

1870 - The D & H Canal entered a prosperous decade, which would be its last successful era.

1872 - 1,000,000 tons of anthracite coal were weighed through the locks at Eddyville. It was coal that gave the Canal its start. Ironically, it was coal that would force its closing. Since the Canal could not operate during the winter, America welcomed in
the Great Railroad. Trains were able to move the coal quicker, cheaper, and in all seasons of the year. High Falls, a thriving community with five stores, five saloons, and two butcher shops, began to lose its luster.

1899 - The D & H Canal Company sold the Canal with all of its "franchises, rights and privileges" to Samuel D. Coykendall for $10,000. But within a few years, the Canal closed for good, with the "Ulster Queen" the last boat to make a scheduled run. The Canal, once the Interstate Highway of the 19th Century, became merely
an unused, overgrown ditch.

1964 - John Novi, a D & H Canal history enthusiast and resident of High Falls, became interested in the old, stone building located at Lock 16. Seeing the "for sale" sign that was posted on the former Stone House Tavern, John Novi began negotiations to purchase the building with the help of his advisor, S. Snyder. The asking price had originally been $12,000. With a $500 loan from Snyder, Novi purchased the building for $4,500. Restoration, brainstorming and financing
followed in the next few years.

1969 - After touring and working in Italy, John Novi came back to the States and opened the old Simeon DePuy Tavern as a restaurant on June 14, 1969. John, as chef, and a small staff operated the restaurant.

1970 - Craig Clairborne, the "New York Times" food critic rated the American Nouvelle Cuisine four stars, an achievement most restaurant owners can only
dream about.

1973 - Novi and his staff moved into a new kitchen addition constructed from old materials: barn beams, street lights and urban renewal bluestone.

1974 - Final restoration is completed in the cellar of the Canal House with the opening of a wine and reception room.

1976 - America's bicentennial celebration - John Novi, with the American Revival Organization and Canal Society, established a park commemorating it with the erection of a flag pole.

1985 - An article in "Time Magazine" on American cuisine called John Novi "the Father of New American Cooking".

1994 - The TV Food Network named John Novi "The Father of American Eclectic Cuisine".