c. 1860s
[photo] Bigelow House on its original site. The saltbox style of the Bigelow House originated in New England and was not commonly found in this area. Originally located near New and Smith Roads in East Amherst, this house was built by Henry Bigelow, one of Amherst's more prosperous early residents, who was originally from Vermont. It is likely that the left side of the house was built in the 1840s, while the right side dates to the 1850s. The two parts are clearly visible when viewing the front of the house. There are interior details that also indicate construction from two time periods. By the 1860s, Biglow's Ransom Creek farm and this house had been inherited by a son, Harry Foster Bigelow, a noted horticulturalist who lived in Williamsville. We do not believe that anyone from the Bigelow family ever lived in this house. Most likely, it was occupied by the farm manager or tenants. The interior has been furnished to reflect the possible occupation of the house by Harry Bigelow's farm manager and his family during the 1860s. The house and furnishings reflect the changes in technology and availability of goods that a middle-class rural family would have had at that time. Although we do not know how all the rooms in this house were originally utilized, the arrangement chosen by the Museum is based on research and common mid-19th-century floor plans. The room on the left depicts a bedroom used by the parents, possibly shared with an infant or very young child. The parlor would have served as the gathering place or the family during evenings when chores were done. In the rear of the house is the kitchen, a sub-kitchen or workroom, and a storage area. Two stairways lead to separate second floor areas. It is probable that the older children slept in the portion that is over the parlor, while the section over the kitchen may have housed farm laborers or been used for storage. This house was moved to the Amherst Museum in 1975 when the original site was acquired for the Ransom Oaks development.| HM Number | HM1KLV |
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| Tags | |
| Placed By | Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village; marker sponsor: Windsor Ridge Associates |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Wednesday, May 20th, 2015 at 10:01pm PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 17T E 684804 N 4772500 |
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| Decimal Degrees | 43.08270000, -78.72968333 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 43° 4.962', W 78° 43.781' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 43° 4' 57.72" N, 78° 43' 46.86" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 716 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 1582-1740 New Rd, Buffalo NY 14228, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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