HomeMy WebLinkAboutDestination Enfield.pdfby Moses L. Harvey and was called Harvey Hotel.
Sometime between 1893 and 1894 the hotel again
changed hands, and the new owner, Frank Teeter, called
it Teeter Hall. The last recorded use for the hotel was in
1922. It was noted for its many dances held on the
“floating” dance floor.
Continue down to the Enfield
Center Rd intersection, turn
right, and walk up to the Enfield
United Methodist Church. The
congregation was first located at
Bostwick Corners in 1835, but
voted to move their church to
the present site in 1876. The
building was dedicated in 1878.
Inside is a painting depicting The
Good Shepherd, given by Marian
Mack, who retired as art teacher
at Ithaca High School in 1975.
During renovations in 1960 the
cornerstone was opened, and material on the
church construction and fundraising was found.
Return to your car.
7. Town of Enfield buildings – On the left side of the
road is the Town Hall barn, a one-story, concrete cinder
block building erected in 1966. The south end houses
equipment and an office. The north section contains
meeting and storage rooms. Across on the eastern side
of the road are two low, rectangular wooden structures.
The larger, built in 1930, was the former town barn,
while the smaller building, first used as the Town Hall,
was occupied by the “Pig’s Ear,” a men’s social club. It
was purchased by the town in 1923, moved from West
Enfield Center Rd, and enlarged. It still has built-in
election booths inside.
8. A Touch of Country
B&B – This house is located
on the western side of
Military Lot #53, which was
deeded to Derrick Hanson in
1790. The first permanent
settlers, Judah and Lydia
Chase Baker, settled in 1804
directly across the road. Ħ
Nearby is the site of the early
Enfield Christian Church
(1821–1938). Further to the north is the Enfield
Elementary School (under construction starting in 1957
and opened in 1959), as well as the town’s general store
called Valley Korner.
9. newman House – This house was built sometime before
1853 and in 1854 belonged to William O. and Isaac H. Newman. It
is a good example of the Gothic Revival, or Carpenter Gothic
style, which was very popular in central NYS in the mid-19th
century. The unusual porch posts and skirting, roof decoration,
and original finials make this home distinctive. Well preserved
and maintained, it is a private residence today.
10. 60 Colegrove Rd – This white Victorian style house
features interesting turrets. Like #9 it also belonged to Isaac
Newman, the father of prominent Ithaca lawyer Jared T.
Newman. Recently renovated, it is now a private home. The view
of the surrounding countryside from the road is one example of
the many beautiful vistas in the area.
Annual Events and festivals
May – Country fair, Enfield Elementary School
Sept – Harvest festival, Enfield Elementary School
lodging l
noble House farm B&B, 215 Connecticut Hill Rd, Newfield, NY
14867. 607-277-4798. Handicap accessible. Dog friendly.
www.noblehousefarm.com. See #3.
A Touch of Country B&B, 119 Enfield Main Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850.
607-272-9435. See #7.
Antiques Shop S
Storm Country Antiques, 1687 Mecklenburg Rd, Ithaca, NY
14850. 607-272-1172.
Recreational Areas ■
Hillendale Golf Course, 218 N Applegate Rd. 607-273-2363.
Robert H. Treman State Park,
105 Enfield Falls Rd, Ithaca, NY
14850. 607-273-3440. See #1.
finger lakes Trail, Finger Lakes
Land Trust, 202 E. Court St,
Ithaca, NY 14850. 607-275-9487.
Pinecreek Campground, 28
Rockwell Rd, Newfield, NY 14867.
607-273-1974. www.pinecreekcampground.com
Stevenson Preserve, see #4. The entrance is on the north side of
Trumbulls Corners Rd.
Credits
Prepared by Municipal Historians of Tompkins County
and the Office of the Tompkins County Historians
Funded by the Strategic Tourism Board of Tompkins
County and the Town of Enfield.
Text and photographs by Susan Thompson, Town of
Enfield Historian
Edited by Jane Marsh Dieckmann
Design and production by Deena Rambaum 2007 AP
Cemeteries C
Budd, Gray Rd.
Christian, Enfield Main Rd.
Presbyterian, Enfield Main Rd.
Rolfe, Applegate Rd.
Historical Markers Ħ
Applegate Tavern, Mecklenburg (Rt 79) and
Applegate Rds.
first Permanent Settlers, Enfield Main and Fish Rds.
Van dorn Tavern, Mecklenburg (Rt. 79) and
Van Dorn Rds.
wallenbeck Tavern, Fish and Buck Hill Rds.
For more information: Town of Enfield, Town Hall, 168
Enfield Main Rd. 607-273-8256. www.townofenfield.org.
Susan Thompson, Town of Enfield Historian, 607-272-6412.
E-mail: sdt1@cornell.edu.
Touring the Towns
of Tompkins County, new York
Enfielddestination
8
10
9
1
7
6
7
7
Town of EnfiEld
Approximately 6 miles square and about 5 miles west of
the City of Ithaca, the Town of Enfield spreads across a
valley with rolling hills, ponds, streams, woodlands,
residential homes and farms, and a school. It has a mean
elevation of 500 to 700 feet above Cayuga Lake, which
can be viewed from various locations on Harvey Hill,
Enfield Center, and Connecticut Hill Roads. Five Mile
Creek, also known as Enfield Creek, flows across the
south of the town and forms a spectacularly beautiful
gorge in the upper section of Robert H. Treman State
Park. First settled in 1804, Enfield was officially registered
as a town on March 16, 1821. The old Catskill Turnpike,
the county’s major east-west road, Rt 79, crosses Enfield
as Mecklenburg Rd.
1. Robert H. Treman State Park – Located off Rt 327,
the lower section of the park and its entrance are in the
Town of Ithaca, while the upper part is in Enfield. From
the upper entrance, winding trails of the Enfield Glen
follow the gorge past 12 waterfalls, including the 115-
foot Lucifer Falls, to a place where you can see 1 1/2
miles down the wooded gorge as it winds its way to the
lower park. The glen was owned by Robert Henry and
Laura Treman, who in 1920 gave the area to the state
with the stipulation that it
be preserved as a public
park free to all visitors. The
park contains two
historical sites: the CCC
Camp, which as a New
Deal program operated
from 1933 to 1941, and the
Old Mill, a 2 ½-story
gristmill, built in 1838–
1839 by Jared Treman,
Robert’s grandfather. A fine example of an early
industrial structure, it contains some original milling
machinery. At one time it was part of the prosperous
Enfield Falls hamlet, which included a shingle factory
upstream and several other mills, a tannery, a blacksmith
shop, a few nearby houses, and a hotel that was built in
the 1830s and for more than seventy years served as a
center for active tourism. Only the mill remains today. It
was reroofed and repainted in 1984. Open to visitors, it
contains a small museum with exhibits on the CCC
Camp and early Enfield Falls community. The Finger
Lakes Trail runs through the park.
2 Stone House – This
private residence was built in
1822 by Charles and Keturah
Woodward and is probably the
oldest remaining stone building
in Enfield. It is constructed
from flat fieldstone gathered
from the area.
6 Enfield Center – Most noteworthy buildings are
north of the Enfield Center Road intersection and can be
visited on foot. Be sure to take care walking on the
roadside, as there are no sidewalks. Park in front of the
Community Building on the western side. This cinder
block, two-story building was the first Fire Hall in the
town, built in 1948 by the newly organized fire company.
It is now used by community organizations and the town
government. The new Fire Hall, built in 1988, stands
behind the Baptist Church.
Continuing north on the road you come to the Grange
Hall, built in 1925–1926, and still used today for grange
meetings and as a community building. The Enfield
Valley Grange No. 295, organized in February 1875, was
the 7th grange in Tompkins County, and as of 1995, it is
the only remaining one to own and maintain a building.
In the 2nd floor auditorium is a painting of Enfield Glen,
done as part of an area New Deal program. Grange meets
here the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7 pm. For
information on membership, please call 607-272-2144.
Just beyond is the first Baptist Church of Enfield
Center, a one-story Greek Revival style building, built in
1842. The Baptist congregation was organized in 1817 and
met in private homes and at the Woodard School until the
construction of this church. Originally located on the
eastern side of the road, the building was moved in 1881,
perhaps to avoid periodic flooding from the creek. The
top parts of the steeple probably date from this time.
The Baptist congregation built a new church in 2004, but
still maintains this old building. To visit the interior, call
607-277-6301.
Walk back past the Community Building and down the
road to the green, two-story house called the Teeter
Hotel, originally a hotel/tavern operated in the 1850s by
Elizabeth and Aaron VanMarter. The hotel not only
served as an overnight rest stop for travelers but also was
rented by the town as a place to conduct town business
and hold elections. About 1875 the place was acquired
Ħ – Historical Markers
C – Cemetery
– Golf Course
– Scenic View
■ – Recreational Area
– Camping
L – Lodging
--- – Finger Lakes Trail
3. noble
House farm
– John and
Elizabeth Nobles
(both Noble and
Nobles spellings
were used by
the family)
purchased
Military Lot #73 in 1809, and a year later
settled on the land with their sons. The
present Noble farmhouse, built in 1883 by
Anson Nobles, grandson of John and
Elizabeth, stands on the original foundation
of the first homestead built in 1825. A B&B
today, it is open year around and offers a
room for meetings and special events.
4 Stevenson Preserve – The preserve,
Military Lot #68 plus 83 acres of the Finger
Lakes Land Trust, is a diverse “old growth”
forest with some areas of original stand
density. The land was donated by Elizabeth
Stevenson Bennett in 1995. Several white
pines are estimated to be 150 years old,
with hemlocks ranging from 150 to 200
years. The Finger Lakes Trail runs through
the preserve.
5. wortman’s Hall – As you approach
Enfield Center on the Enfield Main Road
(Rt 327), just past the Presbyterian
Cemetery on your right, is a rather square,
red, two-story building. A private
residence today, it was the original
Presbyterian Church built on the lot in
front of the cemetery in
1835–1836. Jervis Langdon,
father-in-law of Samuel
Clemens (Mark Twain) was
a trustee of the church in
1836. The church was later
disbanded, and in the mid-
1870s the building was
purchased by John
Wortman and moved to its
present location. First a
store and later an undertaker’s business were located in the
building, which has been used also as town voting place and
community recreational hall. It has the only glassed cupola in
the town.
Robert H. Treman
State Park
E
n
fi
e
l
d
C
r
e
e
k
79
327
Fish Rd
Rockwell Rd
Co
l
e
g
r
o
v
e
R
d
H
a
l
s
e
y
v
i
l
l
e
R
d
V
a
n
D
o
r
n
R
d
A
p
p
l
e
g
a
t
e
R
d
B
l
a
c
k
O
a
k
R
d
B
u
c
k
H
i
l
l
R
d
Enfile
d
M
a
i
n
R
d
Tr
umbulls C o r n e r R d
S
t
o
n
e
H
o
u
se R
d
G r a y Rd
C o n n e c t i c ut Hill
R
d
Mecklenburg Rd
Bostwick Rd
Enfiled Center Rd
Harvey Hill Rd
Aiken Rd
Hayts Rd
2
4
3
5
6
87
10
9
1
Ħ
Ħ
Ħ
Ħ
Enfield
Center
Miller’s
Corners
1
2
3
4
5
6
L
L
C
C
C
C