historichomes

Historic Homes and Buildings in Newfield

There are many historic homes in Newfield that are still around today. The picture above is of the oldest house in Newfield. Built in 1806 this house was part of the Sebring Settlement. There were also some historic houses that didn't make it through two fires in Newfield. The original Methodist Church which stood on Main Street was one of these. It stood in Newfield until it burned down on February 10th, 1946. The Cornerstone of this church was first laid in 1882. The church itself, was officially dedicated on September 13th, 1883. There was another church built on the same location afterwards, but it lacked much of the luster of the earlier church as seen in the photographs below. The parsonage survived the fire and can still be seen to this day next to the second Methodist Church on Main Street.

There was also a Baptist church in Newfield. It was built in 1842 and was on the left after going through the covered bridge. The photo on the left below shows the old Baptist church. This building also was destroyed in a fire on February 17th, 1917. A New Baptist church was built nearby where the original church was. This building is still around today, but it is now used as a recording studio instead of a church (shown below to the right).

Other buildings that can still be seen today include a building located on the corner of Main Street and Pearl Street called the Gables (shown on the left below). This gothic revival house was built around 1860 by Oliver Puff. This house was used as a tea room in the 1920's and a Sunday dinner would cost $1.25.

On the above right is another historic home. This home, also located on Main Street, is the historic Cook House. Built in 1870 by Dr. Cook for his wife, they never stayed in it for long. The story goes that after the house was built and the Cooks moved in, his wife, Almira Dudley Cook, complained that she couldn't stand the noise of the neighboring mill, which was actually right across the street, where the town hall of Newfield is now. Because of this they moved into their house on Pearl Street which is also still there today near the Gables. Dr. Cook practiced his medicine there, and today it is a home as well as a couple apartments in the additions of the home. The Cook mansion, pictured above, was sold and is now currently a Bed and Breakfast. Another historical building is the Newfield Public Library. This building originally was created as a Grange Hall, but the movement's decline led to this building becoming the public library. It is soon to house an exhibit put on by the Newfield Historical Society in the upstairs that is currently under construction.

Next to the picture of the library is a picture of the Masonic Temple. This structure was built and still houses the Mason meetings and other Mason related events. This was built in 1932 after a similar building built by Perceval Dudley burned in a fire in 1926. Next door to the Masonic Temple on Main Street is a building that was originally a hotel. Now an apartment building, this building is known for when Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech form the balcony during his Bull Moose Campaign on October 24th, 1910. unfortunately this building was partially damaged when the building that preceded Mason Hall burned so the storefront that used to be on the western side was replaces as well as the balcony. This can be seen in the pictures below which show the building today and that building when Teddy Roosevelt gave his speech.

The last two houses are on Main Street and were owned by Perceval Dudley, who was a prominent village merchant during the latter half of the 1800's. The first home, which I lack a picture of, is next to the Methodist Church. This home is easy to pick out due to its cut stone basement and the roof top cupola or widow's watch on the top of the building. The second building that Dudley owned was on the corner of Shaffer Road and Main Street. This building, which was a former hotel, has had some additions, giving this house a new look as can be seen in the two photos below.

The last historical building is Newfield Central School. This building was built in 1939 by the Public Works Administration or PWA, when much of the state was encouraging centralized schooling instead of relying on one room school houses. When this building was first built, it housed Kindergarten through 12th grade, but now various additions have been made as well as a separate middle and high school buildings to accommodate our growing district. Now the original building houses only the elementary and pre-school aged children in our district. Before the school was built a creamery was there which is pictured below. Also pictured is the plaque that hangs in the elementary school telling about who built the school.

This page by Jessica Marsh

Sources:

1) Slide and Sound Show: "Walk Around the Village, Then and Now" Script and audio tape, provided by the Newfield Historical Society on Main Street, Newfield, NY.

2) Finley, George, et. al. Newfield, 150 Years (1822-1972). This booklet provided pictures and information. It is available at the Newfield Historical Society.

3) All black and white photos provided courtesy of the Newfield Historical Society.

4) "Newfield in the Round: Trumbulls Corners" audio tape, provided by the Newfield Historical Society. Much of the information for this page came from this tape.

5) All color photos are by me, Jessica Marsh, having a little fun with my digital camera and pretending to be a tourist in Newfield for the day.