Have you ever driven by the little log cabin on Chestnut Road near North Road and wondered about its history? Does it have a story to tell or not? Recently, I stopped by to ask the owner Toby Mansfield, this very question. The house has a long history of continuous occupation by a number of different residents, and is intriguing for the fact that it is still standing and in great condition after nearly 190 years! This makes the little cabin arguably one the oldest homes if not the oldest in Niagara County. There are some that say Reuben Wilson’s home in the village of Wilson is older, dating to 1818 possibly 1825. However, the original cabin was added on to and the walls were hidden by the additions and modifications over the years. There is nothing to be seen of the original home. If the determining criteria is for the structure to look as close to its original appearance as possible, then the Smith cabin on Chestnut wins. Settling this issue would ultimately would depend on when Smith built his cabin on Chestnut Road. No exact dates exist for either house. For the record, the historical marker in front of the little cabin on Chestnut shows a date of 1823.
According to Mansfield, Jesse Smith acquired the land in 1823 from Wilhelm Willinks, one of thirteen Dutch investors who made up The Holland Land Company syndicate. At this time, the United States was actively encouraging speculators to purchase large tracts of land in order to raise cash and to encourage westward expansion. Although the deed and title search don’t show Smith acquiring the property until 1833, it can be assumed that Willinks, as was the custom held the note or mortgage until Smith had paid in full.
Census records show Smith was as farmer who was born in New Jersey in 1802. At some point before 1823, Jesse migrated to Western New York and acquired the land on Chestnut and built his cabin. However, not much later, Smith moved again, purchasing 150 acres in South Wilson on what is now Willow Road. Exactly how this transpired is a little cloudy. There is a record in the Niagara County Clerk’s office of a deed conveyance of 150 acres of land by “another Jesse Smith of Jefferson County, NY and Polly, his wife, dated February 1, 1836 in book 21 of deeds. There is also a reference in the Lockport Daily Journal from May 16th of 1885 that refers to this transaction. This fits the timeline of Smith selling the cabin and property to Anson A. Boyce, a prominent lawyer in the early days of Lockport in 1836. The cloudy part is who was Jesse Smith the seller and how did he come to acquire land in Niagara County while living in Jefferson County? Genealogy research indicates that Jesse Smith of Wilson was not his son. Perhaps he was related in some other way, but the records are difficult to interpret due to sheer number of Smiths to sift through.
From this point it appears that Jesse Smith and his wife Hannah moved to Willow Road built a house, had eight children and began farming at this location until he passed away in October of 1884. Getting to this point in the story required some detective work and making an assumption or two.
There is a fieldstone home located at 2995 Maple Road often referred to as the Jesse Smith House. It is also called Stonehaven. This home appears on the Cobblestone tour, and is a great example of The Greek Revival Style of architecture so common for the period. The house is listed as being built in 1833. The conundrum arises when one does a little research and determines that Jesse Smith does not appear to have ever lived on Maple Road or Sl;ash road as it was once called. This was verified by looking at the 1869 Niagara County Directory and an 1875 map of Wilson that showed where residents home and farms were located. The directory lists an Isaac Smith living on Maple Road farming 77 acres on lot 69 which closely corresponds to 2995 Maple Road. Jesse Smith is listed as living on lot 75 in South Wilson and farming 150 acres. Lot 75 is on Willow Road and 150 acres is the number of acres conveyed to Smith in 1836. There is also an Eli Smith listed on Maple Road farming 100 acres on lot 68. It does not appear that Eli Smith is related to Jesse Smith or Isaac Smith. However, Isaac Smith was Jesse’s son. At this point, one can only make an educated guess and say that over the years, the Isaac Smith house mistakenly became known as the Jesse Smith house or perhaps Jesse helped his son build the home and his son named it for his father. If anyone has any further information that can clarify this, please let me know.
Probably the single most reason that Smith’s original log cabin is still standing is that it was continuously occupied until at least the 1970s. It was added onto, but Mansfield has torn down the later additions in the rear of the house and removed siding that was installed over the exterior oak logs. Regarding the logs, they are rough- hewn approximately 18-20 inches square and in remarkably great condition. Inside, one can see remnants of the early resident’s attempts at decorating. The logs were “wall-papered” with old newspapers from the 1800s. There was a chimney for a small stove, but evidence of a large fireplace is non-existent. On the second floor loft, one can see the original rough cut smaller size trees used for rafters. There was no basement and naturally no in-door plumbing in the original cabin. The structure is not large, measuring approximately 20 by 30, which is common for the period. Also of note and interesting is the height of the entrance door to the cabin. It measures approximately five feet in height perhaps indicating that people were smaller in stature in the early 1800s.
Although it can’t be proven the Jesse Smith cabin is the oldest standing single family home in Niagara County, it is definitely the most authentic in its appearance having changed very little from the day it was constructed. Sincere thanks to the Mansfield family for maintaining an import piece of local history.
Submitted by
Francis Gallagher
Wilson Town Historian
Interior walls (note the well-preserved condition of the oak logs
and the early attempts at wallpapering with old newsprint)
Wilson, NY History 