LANCASTER, N.Y. — The oldest fully restored stone dwelling in Erie County dates back in 1810. But while the Hull House in Lancaster has a colorful history, they are working right now to also build a vibrant future.
The 214-year-old landmark reveals a rare glimpse into how people lived in the earliest days of Western New York and they keep adding to the original structure, to expand that glimpse.
Case in point, says board president Gary Costello, the root cellar they recently rebuilt. "Folks back then had no refrigeration. So they built a root cellar which is below ground which would store food for the winter."
The historical education mission continues with two significant projects that are currently underway.
One, is to recreate the cooking hearth that is in the kitchen as an outdoor instructional hearth stove, "you want to build it out here so we can teach open hearth cooking use of a bake oven without jeopardizing the house."
A much larger project is to build a period-accurate barn, to show the community what everyday life would have been like for Warren Hull and his family, during a very pivotal time period, for Western New York and the country says board vice president Sarah Foels.
"We want to celebrate Western New York and our special connection to the War of 1812 when Buffalo was burned. Also the Erie Canal, so this family would have been affected by the opening of the Erie Canal and that would have changed their lives immensely, so it's unique to this area."
The whole point of the new projects, mixed with the historic structure is to give visitors a hands-on experience says Costello.
"The Hulls were agricultural folks. They raised grain and we want to teach that process and you can't really do grain and wheat properly if you don't have a threshing bar where you could thresh the wheat, and turn it into grain. The usable grain would then be hauled out to the mill for your use." Foels adds "we want people to actually see what it was like to live in the early 1800s and so the house, the barn, everything kind of puts that picture together with the agricultural life back then."
Right now they have raised about $280 thousand of the overall estimate of $300 thousand to build the barn. They have set up a go fund me account to raise the rest.
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