Since the formation of the Wolcott Historical Society in 1998, the Board of Directors have been seeking suitable housing for our numerous historical items. We have had these articles stored in several places, the first being the Wolcott Town Hall on Lake Avenue. That proved to be a very damp environment and we moved to the second floor of the Wolcott Village Hall. During this time we were searching for a permanent place that could be used as a museum for the Historical Society. In May of 2003,we were made aware that a former carriage house from the late 1800s was going to be destroyed. This carriage house was built by Gardner H. Northup after he purchased the former Leavenworth homestead on West Main Street. It was evident to the Historical Society that many people did not know the significance of this building. The carriage house which had been converted to a home in the early 1940s, was the remnant of the once, beautiful Northup property. The mansion which accompanied the carriage house had been torn down in the early 80s due to disrepair. The owners of the carriage house in May of 2003 had no idea of the historical significance of the property. However once informed, they willing donated the property to the Wolcott Historical Society with the condition that it be removed from the property within 60 days. The need for this removal was to expand the currant business, the Pit Stop, which sat in front of the carriage house. With great trepidition, the Historical Society set about raising the necessary funds for this project. The Village of Wolcott stated that they would donate the land to put the house on. The first place considered was one of the empty lots on Main Street. Many obstacles were placed in the way of moving it to this location. The southwest corner of the Northup Village Park was suggested, however many of the residents were opposed to this and rather than causing division, we sought another location. During this time it became evident that we would not be able to raise the required funding in the required time period and with great saddness we agreed to abandon the project. It was at this time that Congressman James Walsh heard of our plight and obtained an $80,000 grant for us. The move was on again but by now we were running out of time. Much to our amazement the Marshall's, owners of the carriage house, extended the time frame. A problem remained. We still did not have a site to locate the house. It was then that R & R Real Estate donated the land at 5994 Jefferson Street, where you will currently see the Northup Carriage House. It was finally moved to this location on September 5, 2003. Currently we are rehabilitating the carriage house. Extensive work is in progress. The Wolcott Historical Society is grateful to the community for its help with this project and wish to thank everyone that has been involved. Please continue to watch our site to see how we are progressing. |