In the 19th century, Canandaigua was an important stop between the east and the emerging western frontier, and the corner of Main and Coach Streets held three hotels before becoming Commons Park. The site began with the Pitts Hotel in 1800 and the Franklin House in 1827; after the Franklin House burned in 1860, the Webster House was erected in 1861 to serve weary travelers. For a time the site also served as Canandaigua's jail. Following Lincoln's assassination in 1865, accused conspirator John Surratt spent two nights there, and the hotel register later provided evidence of his stay at his trial. The hotel was renamed the Pickering Hotel in 1945 and renamed Webster House in 1966. After a fire in 1967, the merchants and city purchased the property that same year, and in 2005 the city dedicated the new park.