Friday, February 20, 2015

C. C. B. WALKER HOUSE, PALMYRA, NEW YORK

I told you and had pictures of one of the historic houses in our village that was torn down.  Well let me tell you about one of the historic houses that has been saved and is still being restored today.  It is the C. C. B. Walker house.  This was the Walker's Summer Home. It is located on small road called, of course, Walker Road in the town of Palmyra.

C. C. B. Walker stood for Charles Christopher Brainerd Walker who lived from June 27, 1824 to January 26, 1888.  He was a U.S. Representative from the State of New York.  He was born in Drewsville, New Hampshire.  He completed preparatory schools. He moved to Corning, New York in  1848.  He was Postmaster from 1856-1860, as well as a contractor engaging in the hardware and lumber business.  During the Civil War he served as brigade quartermaster with the rank of captain in the New York State Militia.  He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Charleston in 1860 and Baltimore in 1872.

Walker was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1877.

After his term in Congress he resumed his former business activities.  Her served as a member of the Board of Control of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station from June 10, 1885 until his passing.  He was also chairiman of the New York State Democratic Committee  from 1887 to his passing.  Walker died in Corning, New York on January 26, 1888.  He is buried in the Palmyra, New York cemetery.

C. C. B. Walker was not the person that had the house built.  The house was built in 1815 by Mr. George Brown.  Brown's widow sold the house to Edward Seldon Townsend.  Mr. Walker bought the house from the Townsend's for his wife.  As I said, it was the Walker's Summer House.

It is rumored that President Grant attended an elaborate dinner that the Walker's had in this home. Also, the basement has a tombstone engraved "Joel Foster, February 2, 1829".  Foster is one of the original founders of Palmyra.

Having been passed down through the family, the house was left vacant from the 1940's until the late 1960's or early 1970's.  As a child, we always said the house was haunted.  In the late 1960's or early 1970's I and a friend of mine went through the house as we were thinking of purchasing it.  When I was there, it had another house behind it, which I assumed was the servants quarters and a large barn on the left side away from the house.  It was purchased by someone who took both the house behind it and the barn down.  It was again sold to a family who started to restore it.  Do to a job transfer they had to sell and was purchased by the current owners who are still restoring it today.

There are five stories to this house plus a walk out basement.  I would like to go through this house again and see all the improvements that have been done to it.  A new barn was built on the remnants of the old barn.  In the barn,  the people raise chickens and sell their eggs as Colonel Walkers eggs as you can see in the last picture.

While getting information for this post, I found out that I know the people that own it now. Don't know them well, but know who they are.  I hope when the weather gets better, they will allow me to go through their house and take pictures for here.

16 comments:

Vanssmomc said...

Wonderful history Marilyn. Can't wait to come out of the deep freeze we are in so my husband and I can resume our day trips around our beautiful part of New York. Thanks for sharing this, did not know about this house, but we will be sure to find it. Hope you get to go inside. Stay safe and warm! Cathy in Webster

Countryside Reflections said...

Oh I hope you're able to go back and take pictures. I would love to see the inside.

Doreen

Angela Tucker said...

Good morning, Marilyn. What a pretty house and love the history. I would like to see the inside, too. I hope they say yes. :-)

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed the history of this home. I'm with you and everyone else in that we hope the new owners will allow you inside and that you'll be able to take pictures. Are they renovating to be able to live in the home? Must be quite a project considering the age of this stately building. Blessings, Carol

Vickie said...

Extremely interesting Marilyn. What a gorgeous fence!

New York State Of Mind said...

Good Morning Everyone,
I hope they let me in it, too. The first people that started working on the house lived in a trailer behind it until they had enough work done so they could live in it. The people that own now are living in it and have two of the five floors of the house done. I like that fence, too. It is the original fence and is made of metal. When the house was purchased to restore, they had to piece the fence together, but they got it all together.

Marilyn

Tom said...

Great history in our area Marilyn. Stay warm Tom The Backroads Traveller

Meredith said...

So glad it was able to be saved, thanks for sharing that lovely history with all of us. Keep warm.

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Tom,

Yes, we do have great history in our area. Send heat !!!!

Marilyn

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Meredith,
I am glad it was saved, too. We are trying to keep warm.

Marilyn

Willow's Quiet Corner said...

Thanks some very interesting history on that house! But, I'm stumped . . . where'd the Foster come from in that line of owners?

Built in 1815 by Brown.
Sold to Townsend.
Sold to Walker.
Foster tombstone dated 1829 in basement.

So, in just 14 years, it changed hands at least 2 times, and possibly 3 if the founding Foster's purchased it from Walker . . . before 1829 presumably, if one of them is buried in the basement! Yikes! ;)

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Willow's Quiet Corner,

Yes, it changed about 2 times. Walker's wife maiden name was Townsend so really C C B Walker bought it from one of his wife's relatives. Foster never owned the house. How or why he got buried in the Walker basement our local history still hasn't figured out. It is a good question.

Marilyn

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Folks,
I just want to add that the C C B Walker house is a private residence. It is not open for public view. Just wanted you to know if you came to the area to see it.

Marilyn

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Folks,
I just want to add that the C C B Walker house is a private residence. It is not open for public view. Just wanted you to know if you came to the area to see it.

Marilyn

Dynna said...

I love historical houses and enjoyed reading the history of this house. So glad someone is restoring it. The fence is beautiful and I'm sure inside the house is also. It would be lovely if the current owners would like to share it with you and us with some photos. Marilyn, you and Pierre keep warm and safe. Hugs to you both.

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi dynnamae n,
So happy you enjoyed the history of this house. It would be nice if they would let me in to take pictures for here. That fence is really nice. Pierre and I are staying warm and safe. Hope you are, too.

Hugs back from New York,
Marilyn and Pierre