It is March Mansion Wednesday!

This week we are featuring a black suit jacket owned by Edward Eugene Lay.

Here at the Historical Society, we have several pieces of clothing that families have donated to us and we keep for display or in our extensive clothing room storage.

Born: January 13, 1877  Tyre, NY
Died: August 3, 1963  Seneca Falls, NY

Wife:
Alice Emma Hollister Lay    1890-1974

Children:
Ruth E. Lay    1913-1966
Helen Addelia Lay Strong    1915-1995
Virginia Eloise Lay Waldron    1917-1997
Janice Lay    1919-1972

Parents:
Edward Lay   1839-1924
Delia Freer Lay   1842-1923

I n the bay area of the room there is a rocking chair and also the desk that once belonged to Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Mr. Becker had his own bathroom connecting to his bedroom. The bathroom was originally an entrance to the upper porch. In the 19010’s it was converted to a bathroom. The bathroom floor is a giant jig say puzzle. The bathroom marked the start to the Master and Mistress suites, and had two doors, one leading into the hall and the other to Mr. Becker’s bedroom.

To see the entire house please visit the Historical Society. Tours are from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm daily.

This week we are featuring Norman Becker’s Bedroom.
Good Victorian couples did not share the same room. There is a walk-through connecting to Catherine Becker’s room.

The four-poster bed was donated by the Sackett family. It was brought over from England c. 1940, it is a rope bed, reminiscent of those used in inns across teh early colonies. The saying “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite” referred to these beds. The best thing that could happen to a traveler was that he or she got to sleep in a bed that had just been tightened and had freshly washed sheets, since early traveler’s were not as hygienically meticulous as we are today. Note the medallions on the bed poster. That would slide to insert a rod used to tighten the ropes, which tended to sag after many uses.

Every room in the mansion has a fireplace to keep warm.

Catherine Becker’s Bathroom and Dressing room appears much as it was in 1905, when the original 1880 plumbing fixtures were replaced with ceramic.

To see more of the Victorian Mansion please come for a tour.

Tours are from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm daily.

This is Catherine Becker’s room on the second floor of the Mansion.

Catherine Becker’s room is the grandest of all bedrooms in the Mansion with an adjoining dressing room and bathroom. This forms the remainder of the master and mistress suites.

The hand-painted tiles around the fireplace opening are possible the finest in the houses.

The bed was made in Philadelphia, Pa c. 1855
The carpet dates c. 1885.
Unusual lady’s desk is American, C. 1885
Desk is from 1865

Over the bed is a portrait of Frank Chamberlain and his wife, Celia Tyler Chamberlain, Seneca Falls residents, artist unknown. Given by their daughter, Mary C. Chamberlain, 1912. Frank Chamberlain was the eldest son of Jacob B. Chamberlain.

The light fixture is the original gas burning lights that were used in the mansion.

The parlor displays a stereoscope to observe.
The organ is a Reed Parlor Organ or pump organ, built in 1902, the organ was a wedding gift.

To see more of the spectacular rooms here at the Becker Mansion we have daily tours from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.

Today we are featuring our Parlor here at the Seneca Falls Historical Society, Becker Mansion.

The parlor was used for everyday living, like our family rooms or dens today. Family would gather here for evenings alone around the fire. These rooms (including the dining room) have sliding doors (pocket Doors) which could be used for privacy, if desired.

Wallpaper is a reproduction of a paper from the 1880’s.

Black couch in the back is made of horsehair. Desk was the the original desk that Mr. Becker sat at. Mr. Becker’s picture is on the organ and a picture of the 4 of the six children.

It’s time for 2021 Mansion Wednesday to start. This new year we are starting with our Archive Room here at the Seneca Falls Historical Society, Becker Mansion. Often, we have the community and people from different states and even people from other countries asking for us to research family genealogy. We have a room full of photos and documentation. We have helped 100’s of family members connect with the past.

The Gift Shop is the first room you enter when visiting the Becker Mansion. In this former library/den you begin to see and feel the grandeur of this place. It is from here you begin your tour and it is also where you can purchase local history books suitable both for adults and children, along with an eclectic collection of books on a wide range of topics. A collection of jewelry, ornaments and interesting items can also be found here for purchase.

The drawing room is one of the most spectacular rooms in the Mansion. This where the family would gather for large events and the women would withdraw to after a meal and the men would gather in the parlor or library. Imagine all the glamor, elegance and decorations during these parties and evenings back in the 1890’s.

In the main hallway, adjacent to the main staircase of the Mansion, what has become a tradition in recent years, the ‘Family Tree’ is positioned here. The Family Tree is beautifully decorated with pictures of known and unknown families. Every year the pictures are chosen randomly from our enormous photographic archives.

I thought we would take you through the ground floor of the Mansion and show you all of our festive decorations for this year.!

This picture here shows our exquisite dining room and Christmas tree, which is 12′ tall and completely decorated top to bottom. Also here is a full 10 set table with Christmas dishes, plates, glasses and napkins.

It surely is a spectacular space in our 23 room Victorian Mansion. Please stop by to see, it is so worth it! Merry Christmas everyone!

Don’t forget to stop by for a look and a tour. We are open Mon.- Fri, 9-4.

However, Delevan’s toys still survive. Upon his death in 1971, Delevan donated his collection to the Seneca Falls Historical Society, where it remains on display to this day.

The Humpty Dumpty Circus was an American-made toy line first created in 1903 by the Shoenhut Company in Philadelphia, PA. The Humpty Dumpty Circus offered a wide variety of jointed wooden figurines of performers and animals, as well as accessories such as tents and acrobat equipment. In 1950, Nelson B. Delevan- a retired engineer who founded the Delevan Manufacturing Co. in De Moines, IA- acquired the license to make the Shoenhut toys and created the Delevan Toy Company in Seneca Falls.

Unfortunately, Delevan’s toy company did not last long. With the arrival of the Korean War and the growing popularity of plastic toys, most took little interest and the Delevan Toy Company was forced to close in 1952.

Foot Powered Scroll Saw that we have in our industry room on the third floor.

The “Empire” was the first large saw offered by Seneca Falls Mfg Co., introduced in 1884. The “Victor”, introduced two years later, used the same “walking motion” foot pedals and 24″ flywheel. These two machines, unlike most of the other treadle scroll saws of that era, were designed for heavy work in furniture factories and pattern maker’s shops. Much heavier than the Barnes machines, these were the ultimate foot power machines of the late 19th century.

This Fireplace is located in the dining room of the 23 room Victorian House, The Becker Mansion.

This fireplace was constructed during the renovation by Eleanor Partridge between 1880 – 1890 before the Becker Family purchased the home. The wood around the fireplace is Vanilla Wood. Eleanor Partridge loved sunflowers and within the woodwork and marble of the fireplace are beautifully carved sunflowers, a design feature throughout the Mansion.

Mr. Milton Hoag, Vice President of the Exchange National Bank of Seneca fAlls, Has been on of the representative business men of the place for nearly a half-century. A native of Montgomery County, N.Y., he was born July 29, 1830. His father, John I. Hoag, who was also a native of New York State,he  was a lawyer by profession, and died in Canajoharie, Montgomery County, when in his eighty-fourth year. Nathan Hoag, the grandfather, was born in this state and was of the Quaker faith. John I. Hoag married Sarah Combs, who was born in New York, and was a descendant of the “Jersey Blues.” She died in Montgomery County, near the Palentine Bridge, that spans th Mohawk River. They were the parents of ten children, nine of whom attained years of maturity. Milton Hoag was the eighth in the family of John I. Hoag.

In February 1851, he came to Seneca Falls, and entered the employment of his brother, Delavan, who was a member of the firm of Adams & Hoag, rectifiers of whickey.  At he expiration of three years he purchased the business, which he continued alone, being very successful. After purchasing several properties over the years in this area. One of his properties he bought, was the Hoag Hotel better known today as the Gould Hotel. Mr. Hoag was married to Rosa A. Finnegan, of Seneca Falls, and by this union he has two bright little daughters, Irene E. and Ethel M. which are pictured here. The picture is in our children’s room on the third floor of The Becker Mansion.

This item is a Hair Wreath. Originally, hair wreaths were made from the hair of deceased loved ones as an honor and remembrance, and the strands placed at the center. As another family member died, their hair would be placed into the center, and the previous lock would be moved to the outside. Hair is one of the most unique and personal mementos people can give of themselves. Although taking hair and weaving it into memorial pieces has been done for hundreds of years as a way to remember a loved one, it was the Victorians who took the idea and crafted it into an art form. The Victorians had elaborate customs for any life event encountered; but this is one tradition that could take different shapes and forms. Hair jewelry allowed Victorians to carry a part of their loved ones with them in the form of bracelets, rings, brooches, watch fobs, even buttons: It was similar to putting a piece of hair in a locket. Hair from a deceased family member was usually made into a mourning wreath for remembrance.

A mourning wreath could be made up of one member’s hair or a composite of an entire family. As family members died, hair was saved in a “hair receiver.” When enough was accumulated, the hair was fashioned into flowers and leaves by twisting and sewing it around shaped wire forms. The open-end at the top of the wreath symbolized the deceased’s ascent to heaven. Wreaths were then placed in shadow boxes and displayed with the open end up, like a horseshoe.

This room is the room of Mary Merrigan the maid that lived in the house and took care of the six Becker children. Her room is quite lovely with two stained glass windows and her own bathroom.

Mary was brought from Ireland to take care of the family. She lived here until she had to go into a nursing facility because of dementia. One evening the family was in the Mansion sleeping and Mary appeared at the bottom of their bed. Mary was in the nursing home and they didn’t know why she was at the mansion, so they called the nursing home and said, “Did you know Mary left the nursing home and is here with us?”, they told them that Mary had died an hour before that.

There is another story that an employee while working heard loud noises coming from the third floor. She called her brother because she was scared. He came with a recorder and went to the third floor where Mary’s room was. He opened Mary’s bedroom door and turned the recorder on to tape through the night and see if they could hear anything.

In the morning when they came back, they listened to the recorder and heard a woman say with an accent, “Excuse me, you just hit me with the door”. When they opened her door the day before Mary must have been behind the door, so they say…..The employee quit her job that day. Other employees have heard dishes clanging in the kitchen on various times and no one is in there.

This is a picture of one of the Hallways on the Third Floor going into the children’s playroom. The Wall features pictures of graduates from St. Pat’s School and Mynderse Academy dating back to late 1800. Several people stop here to glance at the pictures and find out what year one of their late family members graduated.

There is a story of this Hallway that visitors where looking at the pictures and they saw a couple with old clothing on looking at the pictures. They came downstairs to tell the director how nice it was to see people come here dressed up from back in the day many years ago. The director said that no one else was in the house but them and her.

Visit us at the Becker Mansion Monday through Friday and get a tour of the three floors and see how you fall in love with the home.

This is one of many dolls that were at the Becker Mansion when it was purchased. This could have been a doll that the Becker family children played with at one time. We have a room full of just Dolls at the house. Some say they look creepy and when they walk by this room they move rather quickly., it just freaks out the visitors.

But, a doll is a figure of a human being (or sometimes of an animal) used most often as a children’s toy, in magic and religious rituals. There are documents that prove that dolls were use in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. They were made from materials that were available like clay, stone, wood, bone, ivory, leather or wax… There is also archaeological evidence that dolls were oldest known toys. Porcelain doll (or so-called bisque doll) is a doll that is wholly or partially made out of bisque porcelain, a type of porcelain that is unglazed and matte. Bisque dolls were the most popular from 1860 to 1900 in France and Germany and became fashionable after china dolls who have glazed texture.

The head of the doll is always made from bisque but body is made of cloth, leather, wood (with joints), papier-mâché or composition, which is a material made of pulp, sawdust, glue, cornstarch, resin and wood flour. Eyes of dolls are made of glass. Head is painted in many layers in order to get skin tones and facial expressions. Through the 18th and 19th century, dressing up dolls gave little girls the opportunity to learn to sew or knit.

These stained glass windows are one of 19 stained glass windows in the Becker Mansion. The windows were put in when Ellen Partridge renovated the Mansion from 1880-1891. The windows represent, The Morning Dove, The Afternoon Peacock and The Evening Bat. They are spectacular to see in person. We have had many people take pictures and just are mesmerized by the windows. One of the prettiest of all the 19 stained glass windows in the mansion.,