Henry Walton

Who was Henry Walton?

Henry Walton was a judge, early landowner, and hotel owner who played a significant role in the development of Saratoga Springs, New York in the early 1800s.

Walton was born in New York City on October 8, 1768, the son of Jacob and Mary Walton. Educated in England, he returned to New York about 1788 and studied law under Aaron Burr. In 1790 he moved to Ballston, New York. There he served as surrogate court judge, from which he was usually called Judge Henry Walton.

In 1815 he built a mansion called Pine Grove on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, New York, across from the present City Center. This property was sold in 1823 to Chancellor Reuben Hyde Walworth, later inherited by Walworth's daughter-in-law Ellen Hardin Walworth. In 1816 he built the estate he called "Wood Lawn," afterwards sold to Henry Hilton.

He was a large land owner in the area, and donated land for the First Presbyterian Church, the Universalist Church, and the Methodist Church in Saratoga Springs.

In 1819 he built the Pavilion Hotel on Broadway, on the site of the present City Hall. The hotel burned around 1840 and was not rebuilt. He was also involved in developing the famous springs of Saratoga, tubing the Flat Rock Spring, and the President, later called the Iodine and the Saratoga Star Spring.