Farnam Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Farnam Mansion
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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The Farnam Mansion in Oneida, New York
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 302 Main Street, Oneida, New York |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1862 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Part of | Main-Broad-Grove Streets Historic District (ID83001705) |
| Added to NRHP | September 15, 1983 |
The Farnam Mansion is a large, old house in Oneida, New York. It was built around 1862. This mansion is famous for its beautiful style and interesting history. It is also known for stories about ghosts! The house is part of a special area called the Main-Broad-Grove Streets Historic District. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Contents
Mansion Style and Design
The Farnam Mansion was built in the Italianate style. This style was popular in the 1800s. It often includes low roofs and wide eaves. The eaves are the parts of the roof that hang over the walls. This mansion has large, fancy brackets supporting these eaves.
The house has tall windows with decorative tops. There are also bay windows on the sides. A wrap-around porch goes around the front and side of the house. On top of the mansion, there's a square tower called a belvedere. It has a special roof and three arched windows on each side.
The front door is made of dark wood with arched windows. It has unique bronze doorknobs. These doorknobs are very old and have a dog's face and paws carved into them. Inside, the ceilings are very high. There are fancy plaster designs on the ceilings and walls. The doors are made of beautiful tiger-oak wood. Some rooms on the first floor have marble fireplaces. The main living room still has its original light fixture. It was made for gas lights and has never been changed to electricity! A staircase leads upstairs to bedrooms, bathrooms, a small library, and even a nursery.
A Look at the Mansion's Past
The first owner of the mansion was a rich businessman named Stephen Head Farnam. The house is named after him. Mr. Farnam owned a hardware store and was the president of a bank. He was also involved in many other businesses in Oneida. People called him a "self-made man" because he worked hard to become successful. He passed away in the mansion in 1897. Other members of his family also passed away in the house.
Years later, in 1913, Mr. Farnam's wife sold the mansion to Mary Dyer Jackson. Miss Jackson was an early activist for women's rights. She worked to get women the right to vote. This movement was called the women's suffrage movement. She was the first woman in Central New York to ask the state government to let women vote. Miss Jackson only lived in the mansion for five months. Her short stay, along with the deaths that happened there, started a rumor. People began to say the mansion was haunted! They thought ghosts made her leave so quickly.
In 1914, Dr. Robert Lewis Crockett and his wife bought the mansion. Dr. Crockett was a respected doctor and surgeon. He even served as the mayor of Oneida for a short time. He loved collecting wild plants and flowers. He had a laboratory in the basement of his home. He would study his plant specimens there. Dr. Crockett passed away in his basement laboratory in 1946.
After Dr. Crockett, the mansion had a few more owners. It was even turned into a bed and breakfast for a while. A bed and breakfast is a house where guests can rent rooms and get breakfast. The owners added more bathrooms and hot tubs for guests. Later, it became a single-family home again.
Current Life at the Mansion
Today, the Farnam Mansion is owned by Gerri Gray and her husband, Brian. They have worked hard to fix up and restore the house. They have added a new back porch and updated a bathroom. They also replaced some bricks on the front of the house.
For a few years, they opened the mansion as a bed and breakfast called the Collinwood Inn. It was decorated to look like the old TV show Dark Shadows. Guests could stay in rooms named after characters from the show. In 2013, the bed and breakfast closed. Now, the Grays live in the house as a family. Sometimes, they host special private events there, like paranormal investigations.
Haunted Happenings
The Farnam Mansion has a reputation for being a "paranormal hot spot." This means many people believe it is haunted! The current owners, Gerri and Brian Gray, have experienced strange things in the house. They heard about other people who also had spooky experiences there.
Because of this, they invited a group called the New York Shadow Chasers to investigate. This group studies paranormal activity. Their first investigation was in 2011. The investigators said they saw a shadow figure moving in a room. A lamp turned on by itself. They heard footsteps and voices when no one was there. They also got strange responses on their ghost-hunting equipment. The Shadow Chasers concluded that the mansion was definitely haunted! They believed the spirits were happy to communicate.
In 2011, the mansion hosted a public event called "Night of Shadows." People could join the New York Shadow Chasers to learn about ghost-hunting. They also learned about the mansion's history. During this event, people reported hearing footsteps and disembodied voices. Some even saw shadow figures. A special seance was held, and the activity seemed to increase. People reported hearing heavy footsteps and seeing a white phantom cat!
Many other paranormal groups and psychics have investigated the Farnam Mansion. It has become well-known for its ghostly tales. The mansion's history and hauntings have even been featured in books and magazines.
Images for kids
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The Farnam Mansion in Oneida, New York
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The Farnam Mansion - circa 1880
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Stephen Head Farnam - circa 1882
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The Farnam Mansion
