SADDLEMIRE HOMESTEAD
Museum of Knox Historical Society
Museum of Knox Historical Society
This undated photograph shows the
Saddlemire Homestead with the original hip roof, next door to the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Saddlemire barn and the church were destroyed by fire in 1932. |
On October 7, 2014, Lou Saddlemire shared with us some of his extensive research into the history of Knox. He handed out copies of the 1866 Beers map of Knoxville and told us about each building shown on it. He went on to explain why the Saddlemire Homestead doesn't appear on the map, when it was built, who lived there, changes to the building, and how the Town of Knox came to be the present owner. His talk was also sprinkled with several juicy tidbits of Knox history.
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A BRIEF HISTORY of the SADDLEMIRE HOMESTEAD
1879: William J. Crary (born c. 1847) begins construction of his house and barns at the present site. The house will have a hip roof with built-in gutters.
1885: "William Crary has his house raised and when completed will be quite an ornament to the village." (Altamont Enterprise)
1886: "William Crary is making improvements around his commodious dwelling he erected last summer." (Altamont Enterprise)
1915: William J. Crary dies.
1915: Austin Saddlemire Sr. buys the Crary Farm in the village of Knoxville.
1931: Electricity comes to the village.
1932: Fire starts in the Saddlemire barn. It takes the barn and the Methodist church next door, as well as the church hall and sheds.
1879: William J. Crary (born c. 1847) begins construction of his house and barns at the present site. The house will have a hip roof with built-in gutters.
1885: "William Crary has his house raised and when completed will be quite an ornament to the village." (Altamont Enterprise)
1886: "William Crary is making improvements around his commodious dwelling he erected last summer." (Altamont Enterprise)
1915: William J. Crary dies.
1915: Austin Saddlemire Sr. buys the Crary Farm in the village of Knoxville.
1931: Electricity comes to the village.
1932: Fire starts in the Saddlemire barn. It takes the barn and the Methodist church next door, as well as the church hall and sheds.
1932: Saddlemire rebuilds the barn.
1954: Mrs. Saddlemire dies. The homestead has been vacant for 8-10 years, the land not cultivated, house and barns falling into disrepair, roofs of house and barn badly in need of repair.
1957: The "new" barn burns to the ground.
1959: The Nathan Paige family rents the property. The original roof is replaced with a new roof.
1962: Austin Saddlemire Sr. dies.
1963: The Walker family buys the property, stays only a few months. Ernest Andrus buys the property.
1973: Following the very successful Sesquicentennial celebration of 1972, the Town of Knox purchases the property and 35 acres. The house, owned by the Town, is to be used as a museum maintained by the newly-formed Knox Historical Society. The Town builds the Town Hall on the footprint of the old barn.
1954: Mrs. Saddlemire dies. The homestead has been vacant for 8-10 years, the land not cultivated, house and barns falling into disrepair, roofs of house and barn badly in need of repair.
1957: The "new" barn burns to the ground.
1959: The Nathan Paige family rents the property. The original roof is replaced with a new roof.
1962: Austin Saddlemire Sr. dies.
1963: The Walker family buys the property, stays only a few months. Ernest Andrus buys the property.
1973: Following the very successful Sesquicentennial celebration of 1972, the Town of Knox purchases the property and 35 acres. The house, owned by the Town, is to be used as a museum maintained by the newly-formed Knox Historical Society. The Town builds the Town Hall on the footprint of the old barn.
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ALTAMONT ENTERPRISE, 10/16/14
White paint dazzles in the autumn sunlight To the Editor: Have you driven by the Saddlemire Homestead on Route 156 in Knox lately? The overgrown shrubbery and dead tree have been removed. The house’s peeling patches are gone, and its new coat of white paint dazzles in the autumn sunlight. The town of Knox maintains the homestead, which houses Knox Historical Society’s collection. The society sincerely thanks Mike Hammond, supervisor, and the town board for undertaking this project to improve and protect the building. Lou Saddlemire recently spoke to the society about the history of the house, which was built in 1885 by William J. Crary. The house originally had a hip roof, and the land out back was a working farm. On June 27, 1885, The Knowersville Enterprise noted: “William Crary has his house raised and when completed will be quite an ornament to the village.” Austin Saddlemire Sr. bought the house in 1915, and the Town acquired the property in the 1970s. Knox Historical Society’s new website details the chronology of the homestead. It also features a virtual room-by-room tour of the collection. The “Publications” section has information on ordering the 2014 re-issue of the Knox sesquicentennial history book. We invite readers to learn more about our projects at knoxhistoricalsociety.org/ The historical society will not meet on Election Day in November. On Dec. 2, we’ll host our annual holiday party at 7 p.m. at the town hall. All are invited to help us celebrate a very successful year and meet visitors from other historical societies. Jane B. McLean, vice president Knox Historical Society |
— Photo scan by John Elberfeld
Old homestead gets new paint: This undated photo of the Saddlemire Homestead in Knox, built in 1885, shows its original hip roof. The town of Knox recently painted the building, which houses the collection of the Knox Historical Society. The history of the Homestead is at the Society’s website, knoxhistoricalsociety.org/ |