To close out 2019, Eileen Hartmann invited the public to join her for light refreshments at the Cromwell Manor Historic Inn. She and innkeeper Jennifer Florio invited guests to tour the facility while they shared some of it’s history. The inn, which was built in 1820, is celebrating its bicentennial this year.
The Cromwells, a Quaker family, first settled on Main Street. A plaque marks where they initially lived, across from the former location of Bernicker Dodge.
When David Cromwell moved out of the home, he purchased 800 acres of land located on both sides of Angola Road. He and his family took up residence in the Joseph Sutherland House, while Cromwell Manor was being constructed. The house, built in 1764, once was a tavern and has three stories. Hartmann said she once heard a rumor the Pony Express stopped there.
In 1820, the Cromwells moved into the completed manor. Built with two layers of brick, Hartmann said no other home in the area was built like it. More of a luxury home than a farmhouse, “it was quite the show place,” she said. The house was expanded in 1840 and the additional space likely served as quarters for the staff due to the small nature of the rooms.
In 1914, the Cromwells sold 88 acres of land to Jones Farm and retained the seven and a half acre property that exists today.
David and his wife had 10 children and the family lived in the home for almost 120 years until it was sold in the 1930s to the new York City Teachers’ Union. Retired teachers used to spend their summers in the home, as well as the innkeeper’s house, and would commonly be seen walking the streets, Hartmann recalled.
Evidence of the teachers’ stay still exists. One of the rooms has a closet that was converted from a telephone booth. A dinner bell still hangs from the wall and a metal pencil sharpener remains attached to the door.
A few other people owned the house before it was purchased by Dale O’Hara. He refurbished the home and attempted to restore some of the historical features. When O’Hara married, he decided to turn the inn into a bed and breakfast featuring five rooms. He later sold the property and that owner turned around and agreed to a purchase deal with Hartmann over eight years ago.
Cromwell Manor now boasts nine guest rooms with an additional four rooms in the Sutherland House. The innkeeper’s building is currently closed for renovations and could potentially offer additional guest rooms in the future.
Over the years renovations have expanded the number of guest rooms, most of which have their own private bathrooms.
Although the home is on the historical registry, it does not have the typical historical restrictions due to the previous renovations.
Hartmann said looking at the windows is a good indicator of where the original rooms existed and have now been expanded.
One of the bedrooms has a blacked out window which once looked out on the back porch. A large bathroom door once served as a means of ingress and egress.
The house retains seven original marble fireplaces while the Sutherland House (also known as the Chimney Cottage) has wood fireplaces.
The windows are originals as are the pumpkin pine floors.
The inn features the original front door, as well as floor to ceiling windows along the face. Hartmann said the houses were taxed based on the number of doors, so windows were installed in lieu of doors. When open, the windows allow a five-foot space to move in and out of the home.
The king also charged a tax on lumber. The Sutherland House features smaller planks on the first floor and larger planks on the second.
The Wellington Room was once part of the back parlor which featured 10-foot tall doors which slide open. The dinning room used to be a screened in porch. Hartmann said when she purchased the property she popped out the room 16 feet to allow more space to host parties.
Hartmann said the inn not only provides lodging to visitors of Cornwall, but it hosts bridal and baby showers, barbecues, reunions, small weddings, private dinners, and birthday parties.
