Historic Main Street Tour

Historic Main Street Tour. . , This collection of homes on the upper hilly west side of Main Street, is part of a series of five homes built between 1840 and 1923. Up the hill a few yards is a Prairie style house. Built in 1923, it is the only 20th century home In this group. Below it are two Greek Revival homes, built circa 1840. The upper of these two houses was used as both home and business for over 40 years. Ruth's (Droski) Beauty Shop operated here until 1994 when she sold the house. All three of the front second story windows were removed in a 1995 modernization., Just down the hill from Ruth's is an unusually high style of Greek Revival not commonly found on a house of such modest proportions. Its elaborate door surround, frieze band windows and engaged pilasters set this house apart from its neighboring sister. As spa business boomed, a large back addition was built for guestrooms and then subsequently demolished in 1990. This house also had a gift shop that operated for several years. George Smith, a mason, and his family lived in the house in 1855. Smith bought the adjacent vacant land to the north and built an Italianate house in 1889 with ornate plaster ceiling moldings, tall windows and a beautiful cherry staircase, Unfortunately, the 1866 census shows the young Mrs. Smith as a widow, most likely a result of the Civil War., Mrs. Smith sold the house in 1871 to Louisa and George Klinkhart, an affluent businessman, for $3500. All eight of the Klinkhart children were born in the house. The six sisters were talented musicians, milliners, artists and actresses. As a signatory of the village's incorporation, Klinkhart also served as its treasurer, trustee and as town clerk., Klinkhart had opened a "tinner's" and hardware shop close to Rockville. but later moved it downstreet. After losing his entire stock in the 1885 Empire Block fire, he built a new store with an upstairs opera house known as Klinkhart Hall. He was active and generous in the community, especially to the youth. He organized and funded a coronet band whose rehearsal room lease was contingent on the boys good behavior. They were evicted immediately one winter day for throwing a snowball at a visiting Evangelical minister., In 1911 he lost everything in a second fire when his store exploded from flammables stored to the basement. His wife, Louisa, was killed in the tragedy. George died in 1915, at age 67. His daughter, Lulu, remained in the house and rented guestrooms. She died in 1984 at age 98., Dawn Belloise and Dennis Giacomo purchased the Klinkhart homestead in 1992 and began its restoration. In 1993, they purchased the high style Greek Revival and after restoration, converted it into Brimstonia Cottage in 1998. Active in the community, they founded the Sharon Springs Citizen Counsel of the Arts in 1993, served in village government, and secured major grants for several community projects. In 1998-99, Belloise developed, designed, and wrote a grant for the Historic Main Street Tour, donating her work to the Sharon Historical Society. The New York Council for the Humanities awarded a major grant to the Sharon Historical Society to produce the project.