Warner House

Warner House. Circa 1838. The Warner Farm House was the home of Alanson Warner and his wife Catherina Albright. Alanson, the son of Andrew and Chloe Fairman Warner, a native of Worthington Massachusetts, came to Ontario in 1816 with his parents. , Alanson was credited with inventing the differential, a device which allowed one wheel to turn faster than the other wheel. His mowing machine could turn corners smoothly without losing power or dragging the outside wheel. This was before the development of the automobile and he lost interest in the invention so he sold the patent for the invention for $16.00. Alanson also invented a pump system to bring water from the lake to the cistern in the basement. The small back room by the basement stairs had a dry sink and a pump to bring the water upstairs. , Alanson and Catherine's son, John Albright Warner, was born in Ontario on August 12, 1835, the third of eleven children. He was educated in Walworth and Macedon Academies and was a carpenter for 33 years. He also owned a 97 acre farm, with 15 acres of orchard and six acres of berries. A granddaughter remembers visiting the house and describing the fruit drying operations. John invented his own apple corer and peeler. In 1860, he married Harriet Morris and they had six children. His son, Clarence, made a model voting machine. , The one story house was built in 1838. It was a simple two room structure built from used materials and had a loft. Around 1868 the two story addition was added. The family was more prosperous and larger. , It was originally located at the intersection of Furnace Road and Lake Road. It cost $20,000 to move the house. , In July 1991, the house was donated to the Historical Society by Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hollingsworth.