Benjamin
Long Homestead is located in the City of Tonawanda, Erie County . Long Homestead
House was built in 1828, decorated with furniture from 1810-1860. It belongs to
the Historical Society of the Tonawandas.ÊThe
Long Homestead has been fully restored and is open to the public as a historic
site. In the spring of 1829, Benjamin and Mary Hershey Long built
their home in the village of Tonawanda on a point of land between Ellicott Creek
and the Erie Canal. From Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, they and their five daughters
(ranging in age from six months to sixteen years) had arrived here the previous
December. Back then, the tiny settlement, encompassing an area immediately north
and south of the canal, was comprised (according to daughter Christiana's remarks
in later life) of only thirteen buildings. Constructed of white oak and black
walnut timbers with a foundation of Medina red sandstone, the clapboarded homestead
is today decorated with antique furnishings and cared for by the Historical Society
of the Tonawandas. Tours are provided on Sunday afternoons from May through October
and by appointment at other times. You're invited to stop by. Become acquainted
with a building which stood in the midst of things as the Tonawandas grew from
a sleepy settlement to a booming lumber-distribution and manufacturing center
of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. |
