14 names. 15 name changes. One address.
Two blocks from Lake Michigan, on the corner of Main and Third, there has been a place to sleep, eat and drink for more than a century and a half. We are the newest name on the door.
The story of 231 Main Street
Many names.
One enduring story.
From a harbor hotel to The Maxwell. Explore the people, names, and turning points that shaped this corner of Frankfort.
The harbor years
- 1867
A welcome on the waterfront
The hotel is established to accommodate sailors and travelers arriving from Lake Michigan.
- Late 1860s
The first names on the door
The earliest documented name is Frankfort House. The museum’s 1868 photograph identifies Delbridge House as a separate hotel farther down Main Street.
- 1870s
A hotel of many names
Known at different times as the Saterlee Hotel, National Winkler House, and Yeazel House.
- Late 1800s–1920s
Yeazel House & The Inn
The hotel operates under several names, including Yeazel House and The Inn.
Fire & a fresh start
- July 1925
A building lost to fire
A major fire destroys the earlier hotel building in July 1925.
- 1930–1933
The building we know today
Joseph P. Oberlin purchases the property and names it the East Shore Hotel. The present building is constructed in the early 1930s.
- 1939
The Frankfort Inn
Al Herron purchases the property and renames it the Frankfort Inn.
- 1958
The Park-Dale East Shore Hotel
The property transfers to Dale and Florence Herron and is called the Park-Dale East Shore Hotel.
Room for reinvention
- 1972
The PAC Inn
Paul A. Corey purchases the hotel and gives it his initials: the PAC Inn.
- 1984
The Hotel Frankfort
After several ownership transfers, Kurt Loranz and Scott Powell acquire the hotel and name it The Hotel Frankfort.
- 1984–2004
Building below & beyond
Significant improvements include excavation of the wine cellar and construction of a banquet room.
- 2005
The Betsie Bay Inn
Jeff and Lesley Perkins purchase the property and operate it as the Betsie Bay Inn. Their significant updates include a bar inspired by the deck of a Chris-Craft boat, a divider between the bar and dining room resembling a boat’s hull, and new dining-room booth seating.
The next chapter
- 2012
The Sleeping Bear Inn
A group from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula purchases the hotel, with Mary Pitcher managing, and changes the name to the Sleeping Bear Inn. On November 24, 2012, 20-year-old guitarist Billy Strings performs here—before going on to win three Grammys between 2021 and 2026.
- August 2014
A devoted caretaker
Judy Remmert purchases the property and restores the Hotel Frankfort name. Over more than eleven years, she makes extensive updates to the rooms and building, becoming a devoted caretaker of the property.
- August 2025
New owners, a familiar name
Mike Williams and Steve and Janis Campbell purchase the hotel and continue to operate under the Hotel Frankfort name.
- November 2026
Introducing The Maxwell
Under the same ownership, the hotel takes the name The Maxwell, with several connections to the ownership group. This new chapter also introduces a golf simulator lounge within the hotel.
It started with sailors
In 1867 a hotel was established here for sailors and travelers arriving from Lake Michigan. Frankfort was a working harbor then, and the harbor needed rooms.
The earliest documented name was Frankfort House. Historical accounts connect it with the Satterlee family and later names including National, National Winkler, Yeazel House and The Inn. The exact early sequence remains uncertain. Delbridge House appears separately in the museum’s 1868 street photograph.
Fire, twice.
The building burned. It was the second fire, and the final one. For seven years, the corner sat quiet until someone decided to build again.
But they rebuilt it, 1932
What you walk into today went up between 1932 and 1933, put there by an owner named Joseph P. Oberlin. It was brick, three stories, built to last through whatever came next. And what came next was the end of Prohibition, and Frankfort has never quite let go of the stories from that stretch.
Local lore says Oberlin was friendly with Al Capone, that Capone kept the red brick house down on the beach at Michigan and Main, and that tunnels ran from that house to businesses all over town, including our hotel.
They were escape routes, the story goes, in case Chicago ever came looking.
Hands on the deed
Over the years, the name on the door has changed more than once. Each owner left something behind, shaping the building and its story into what it is today.
Frankfort House
The Frankfort House was established in 1867 to accommodate sailors and travelers arriving from Lake Michigan. In the museum’s 1868 Main Street photograph, the hotel is the white building at right.
Saterlee / Satterlee
Historical accounts associate the early hotel with the Satterlee family and report the Saterlee or Satterlee Hotel name. The dates and a distinct branding period remain unverified.
National / Winkler
The property appears in museum records as the National Hotel and National Winkler Hotel. It later became Yeazel House; the exact sequence and dates of these early names remain uncertain.
Yeazel House
Known as Yeazel House or the Yeazel Hotel, the three-story brick predecessor stood at Third and Main before the July 1925 fire.
The Inn
Before the fire, the hotel also carried The Inn name. The corner-entrance postcard records this chapter; a separate Ford Day street photograph is dated August 24, 1922.
The hotel fire
Museum photographs document the Yeazel Hotel burning and its ruins in July 1925. The fire ended the earlier building’s story on this corner.
East Shore Hotel
The hotel was rebuilt in the early 1930s and operated as the East Shore Hotel, beginning the next chapter at Third and Main.
Al Herron purchased the property in 1939 and renamed it the Frankfort Inn, beginning nearly two decades of ownership.
Dale and Florence Herron took over in 1958, operating the property as the Park-Dale East Shore Hotel.
Paul A. Corey took ownership and put his initials over the door, giving the building its next name: PAC Inn.
Kurt Loranz and Scott Powell acquired the property in 1984 and named it The Hotel Frankfort.
During their two decades at the hotel, Loranz and Powell made substantial improvements, including excavating the wine cellar and building a banquet room.
Jeff and Lesley Perkins purchased the hotel in 2005 and operated it as the Betsie Bay Inn, adding the boat-inspired bar and dining-room features.
A group from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula purchased the property, with Mary Pitcher managing, and renamed it the Sleeping Bear Inn.
Judy Remmert purchased the property and brought back the Hotel Frankfort name, restoring the rooms one at a time over the following decade.
Mike Williams and Steve and Janis Campbell purchased the hotel in August 2025 and continued operating it as Hotel Frankfort.
Steve and Janis Campbell rebranded the hotel as The Maxwell.
A Name With a History
We took over in 2025 and ran it as Hotel Frankfort until late 2026 when we changed the name to The Maxwell. Changing the name of a building this old is not something you do lightly. But look at the list. Frankfort House. The Saterlee. National Winkler. Yeazel House. The Inn. Frankfort Inn. East Shore Hotel. The PAC Inn. Hotel Frankfort. Betsie Bay Inn. Sleeping Bear Inn. Hotel Frankfort again.
Many names in a hundred and fifty-six years. This place has always been named by whoever was willing to take care of it. Now it is our turn and we will honor the history while starting a new era.
What we are building
From beautifully appointed rooms and seasonal dining to waterfront views, discover the moments that make every stay at The Maxwell unforgettable.
Experience the History, Stories and Feel of America 1869.
We are two blocks from the beach and a short drive from Point Betsie Lighthouse and Sleeping Bear Dunes. Frankfort is a small town that gets loud in the summer and goes quiet in February, and both versions are worth showing up for. The building has been here since 1869. You should probably stay a night in it.
Boutique hotel, restaurant, bar and golf simulator lounge in downtown Frankfort, Michigan.