EB Morgan House
Encyclopedia
The E.B. Morgan House at 431 Main St, Aurora, New York
was designed in the Italianate style by New York architect Joseph C. Wells for Edwin Barber Morgan
, a wealthy entrepreneur and US Congressman. Built between 1857 and 1858, the mansion expressed the new wealth of businessmen in Central New York. Their innovative companies had operations extending to California and the South. The mansion is a contributing property
within the Aurora Village-Wells College Historic District
, listed in 1980 on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Morgan had the house constructed beginning in 1857 at a cost of $50,000 (a staggering sum for the 19th century.) He commissioned it from New York City architect Joseph C. Wells for his wife, Charlotte Wood Morgan, and their children. (Wells also designed the Presbyterian Church in Aurora.)
Morgan was born in Aurora in 1806, and maintained a home there his entire life. From a young age, Morgan showed considerable business savvy. As a child he worked alongside his father at the family store. Once an adult, E.B. Morgan made money as an entrepreneur in the trade industry on Cayuga Lake
. With the capital he earned, he built the Aurora Inn
in 1833. It served people involved with the busy shipping on the lake.
Morgan became lifelong friends and business partner with Henry Wells
. E.B. Morgan became an early investor in several of Wells' business ventures, including his American Express Company and the Wells Fargo
Company. Morgan was also an investor in many local enterprises, and a founding investor in the New York Times.
The prominent Ithaca resident Ezra Cornell
was another of E.B. Morgan's business partners. In the 1870s they invested in the Cayuga Lake Railroad Company. The train ran along Cayuga Lake behind both the Inn and E.B. Morgan's private home. Morgan was thrilled with the train and saw its location as allowing him to monitor his investment. He was said to stand with a watch in hand to check the train's punctuality as it passed through his yard.
Following Morgan's death, his daughter and her husband Nicholas Zabriskie took over the E.B. Morgan House. The mansion continued as a Morgan-Zabriskie family home until it was donated to Wells College in 1961. Wells College used the home as dormitories for students' studying French; only French was allowed to be spoken there. While being used as a French-immersion dormitory, the E.B. Morgan House was called "French House", a name which many locals continue to use today.
In 2005 the Aurora Foundation and the Pleasant Rowland
Foundation completed a multi-million dollar renovation of the house. It is operated as an inn, with options to rent single rooms or the entire mansion for special events. The Foundation focused on maintaining the architectural history of the house, while enhancing it as a lakefront retreat.
Architectural details were preserved while contemporary heating and cooling systems were installed. In addition, it was upgraded with contemporary plumbing. Gas fireplaces were installed in four of the guest rooms.
Now operated as a bed and breakfast, the house features seven guest rooms, living areas, and a shaded porch that overlooks Cayuga Lake
. The house features views of either Cayuga Lake or the village. It is fitted with modern technology.
The Morgan House is available for individual room rental, or the whole house can be rented out. The house can accommodate up to 14 for a seated dinner (served on regional specialty Mackenzie-Childs china) or 48 for a cocktail reception.
Aurora, Cayuga County, New York
Aurora is a village and college town in Cayuga County, in the Town of Ledyard, north of Ithaca, New York, United States. The village had a population of 720 at the 2000 census, of which more than 400 were college students....
was designed in the Italianate style by New York architect Joseph C. Wells for Edwin Barber Morgan
Edwin Barber Morgan
Edwin Barber Morgan was an entrepreneur and politician from the Finger Lakes region of western New York. He was the first president of Wells Fargo & Company, founder of the United States Express Company, and director of American Express Company...
, a wealthy entrepreneur and US Congressman. Built between 1857 and 1858, the mansion expressed the new wealth of businessmen in Central New York. Their innovative companies had operations extending to California and the South. The mansion is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
within the Aurora Village-Wells College Historic District
Aurora Village-Wells College Historic District
The historic village of Aurora, Cayuga County, New York rises on a hill above the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. The village was named by Captain Benjamin Ledyard, who settled there in 1793, in the post-Revolutionary development of the Finger Lakes region...
, listed in 1980 on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History of E.B. Morgan and his house
Morgan was born in Aurora in 1806, and maintained a home there his entire life. From a young age, Morgan showed considerable business savvy. As a child he worked alongside his father at the family store. Once an adult, E.B. Morgan made money as an entrepreneur in the trade industry on Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area and second largest in volume. It is just under 40 miles long. Its average width is 1.7 miles , and it is at its widest point near Aurora...
. With the capital he earned, he built the Aurora Inn
Aurora Inn
The Aurora Inn was built in 1833 at Aurora, Cayuga County, New York for Edwin B. Morgan, a local businessman involved in trade and shipping on Cayuga Lake, one of the seven Finger Lakes. Aurora served as a port for shipping goods up the lake and through the Erie Canal to New York City and other...
in 1833. It served people involved with the busy shipping on the lake.
Morgan became lifelong friends and business partner with Henry Wells
Henry Wells
Henry Wells was an American businessman important in the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company.-Early life:...
. E.B. Morgan became an early investor in several of Wells' business ventures, including his American Express Company and the Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
Company. Morgan was also an investor in many local enterprises, and a founding investor in the New York Times.
The prominent Ithaca resident Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell was an American businessman and education administrator. He was a founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University...
was another of E.B. Morgan's business partners. In the 1870s they invested in the Cayuga Lake Railroad Company. The train ran along Cayuga Lake behind both the Inn and E.B. Morgan's private home. Morgan was thrilled with the train and saw its location as allowing him to monitor his investment. He was said to stand with a watch in hand to check the train's punctuality as it passed through his yard.
Following Morgan's death, his daughter and her husband Nicholas Zabriskie took over the E.B. Morgan House. The mansion continued as a Morgan-Zabriskie family home until it was donated to Wells College in 1961. Wells College used the home as dormitories for students' studying French; only French was allowed to be spoken there. While being used as a French-immersion dormitory, the E.B. Morgan House was called "French House", a name which many locals continue to use today.
E.B. Morgan House today
Pleasant Rowland
Pleasant Rowland is an American educator, writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Rowland is best known for creating the American Girl brand...
Foundation completed a multi-million dollar renovation of the house. It is operated as an inn, with options to rent single rooms or the entire mansion for special events. The Foundation focused on maintaining the architectural history of the house, while enhancing it as a lakefront retreat.
Architectural details were preserved while contemporary heating and cooling systems were installed. In addition, it was upgraded with contemporary plumbing. Gas fireplaces were installed in four of the guest rooms.
Cayuga Lake
Cayuga Lake is the longest of central New York's glacial Finger Lakes, and is the second largest in surface area and second largest in volume. It is just under 40 miles long. Its average width is 1.7 miles , and it is at its widest point near Aurora...
. The house features views of either Cayuga Lake or the village. It is fitted with modern technology.
The Morgan House is available for individual room rental, or the whole house can be rented out. The house can accommodate up to 14 for a seated dinner (served on regional specialty Mackenzie-Childs china) or 48 for a cocktail reception.