The Morgan-Manning House

The Morgan-Manning House. Dayton and Susan Morgan, the spirits of the Morgan Homestead.. , 1. John C. Ostrom moved from his Ridgeway farm to Brockport in 1841-42. He acquired this lot in 1852 and built the house in 1854-57. He died in 1860 and his son, John D. Ostrom, deeded the property to his brother-in-law. It became a rooming house until the Morgans bought it., 2. Dayton S. Morgan (above) was born in 1819 in Ogden and came to Brockport in 1836. In 1844, he became the junior partner in the Seymour and Morgan foundry known as the Globe Iron Works. In 1846, that firm manufactured the first successful 100 McCormick reapers, bringing the Industrial Revolution to agriculture. In 1864, he married Susan M. Joslyn and the couple rented quarters in what is now the Morgan-Manning House. They bought the house in 1867. In 1877, William Seymour retired and the firm became D. S. Morgan and Co. Morgan died in 1890 and the firm was dissolved soon after., 3. Susan Mehitable Joslyn was born in 1839 in Brockport. After marrying Dayton Morgan in 1864, she settled in this house and became the devoted mother of seven children. In cultural and civic life, she was regent of the local Chapter of the DAR and a lifetime member of the Rochester Historical Society. She also was instrumental in founding the Brockport Reading Room, now the Seymour Library., 4. The 1877 Neo-Gothic brick carriage house stabled horses and stored carriages. It included a tack room and, in the loft, bedrooms for the stable men in charge of the animals and equipment. Circa 1900, a two story wooden stable, with five horse stalls, was added to the rear., 5. Dayton and Susan Morgan's third child and eldest daughter, Sara (b. 1868), married Frederick Arnold Manning (1893), settled in New York City, and gave birth to their only child, Arnold (1894). After Frederick died in 1896, she returned to Brockport and later purchased the property from the Morgan estate where she lived for the rest of her long life. , On the evening of September 25, 1964, a fire in the house basement spread rapidly to the rear of the main hall. The Brockport Fire department, helped by 12 other companies, extinguished the flames in seven hours. Sara, found unconscious in her bedroom, died early the next afternoon. Her will stipulated that her home should go to a charitable, educational or cultural organization., 6. Wilbur "Doc" Hiler was the prime force in the formation of the Western Monroe Historical Society in 1965. The Society, with Harry Sentiff as first President, acquired the property in 1968. Thereafter, Merritt Elwell played an important role in the restoration of the house, which continues to be maintained by dedicated members and volunteers. Eunice Chesnut served as the Society's historian for 37 years., (Captions):, The "Triumph" reaper, considered to be "the perfect machine," was manufactured in Brockport by the D. S. Morgan and Co. from 1874 to 1894., Morgan residence and carriage house [Plate XXXIII of "The History of Monroe Courty, New York" (1877)]., (Timeline):, 1852 John C. Ostrom buys building lot ($800) , 1854 Building begins , 1857 House is complete , 1860 John C. Ostrom dies and heir John D. Ostrom deeds house to brother-in-law Thomas P. Eldridge , 1864 Eldridges sell house to James O. Guild ($7,000); Morgans rent rooms here , 1867 Morgans buy house ($9,000) , 1877 Carriage house is built , 1934 Sara (Morgan) Manning buys house ($10,000) , Sept. 26, 1964 Sara Manning lives here until a fire takes her life on this day , 1965 Society is granted provisional NYS Charter , 1968 Society acquires deed to property and is granted absolute NYS Charter , 1991 House is placed on National Register of Historic Places, Owners: , John C. Ostrom . Thomas P. Eldridge . James O. Guild . Dayton S. Morgan . Susan M. (Joslyn) Morgan . Sara (Morgan) Manning . Western Monroe Historical Society (WMHS)