Although information about the first owner is unavailable, what is known is that the Franciscan Capuchins (an order of Catholic friars) bought the estate in 1949 and remained here until 1974. They built south and north additions with a chapel and classrooms, respectively. They also operated the&nbsp; Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary.&nbsp;For five years after they left, the estate was vacant and not maintained. Fortunately, developers bought it in 1979 and proceeded to renovate it. The resort opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1981. The current owners purchased the resort in 1995.

The Nester House as it appeared in its early years. Note the elaborate landscaping.

The house has been remodeled over its lifetime.

The landscaping became less elaborate over time.

View inside the chapel the Capuchins built.

The resort boasts beautiful modern rooms such as this one.

Website

Click to read the obituary of Harrie T. Lindeberg in the New York Times.

More Info

Designed by architects Harrie T. Lindeberg and Lewis C. Albro in the Italian Renaissance style, the Nester House is a large mansion situated on the western bank of Seneca Lake. Built in 1911, it is believed that the Villa Lancelloti, which is located in Italy, was the inspiration for Nester House. As information about the house is limited, it is not clear who owned it. Today, the old mansion is now the Geneva On the Lake resort, which opened in 1981. The Nester House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Nester House (Geneva On the Lake)

This driving tour begins at Belhurst Castle just south of Geneva and includes several landmarks in that community including the Geneva Armory, Smith Opera House, and the Geneva History Museum. The tour curves around Seneca Lake with additional stops at Rose Hill Mansion and the Johnston House which includes exhibits relate to technology and innovation in 19th-century agriculture. The tour continues east with a stop at a farmhouse that was central to the early history of the LDS church before concluding with a Civil War memorial and the historic home of the Waterloo Historical Society. Be sure to continue on to historic Seneca Falls where visitors can tour sites related to the history of women's rights. 

Interestingly, the land on which the house stands was the site of a Seneca Indian village, which was also the location of the Council of the Six Nations&nbsp;of the Iroquois. The property became part of Massachusetts&nbsp;in the early 1700s. It passed onto a series of owners over the next century before being acquired by Joseph Fellows, a lawyer from England, in 1820. Around 1830, he built the&nbsp;first&nbsp;structure on the property, which he called the "Hermitage."&nbsp; Fellows never lived in the house. A man named William Henry Bucke lived in it under a deed of trust. Bucke was probably the most interesting resident&nbsp;of the Hermitage. He lived alone except for one servant and died after complications from a fall in 1836. Upon his death, it was discovered that Bucke had embezzled money from the Covent Garden Theater in London, where he worked as treasurer. He also apparently married his stepmother. He fled to the United States to evade capture and used the alias Henry Hall.&nbsp; Two owners later, the property was purchased by Harrison G. Otis in 1852, who was the originator&nbsp;of the name "Bellehurst" (which means "beautiful forest"). The Otis family lived at the Hermitage until 1873, at which point the government assumed ownership of the property. Carrie Harron bought it in 1885 and in a few years divorced her husband (he stayed in New York, where they lived) to marry Louis Dell Collins, who was her manager at the time.&nbsp; Carrie died in 1926 and the property passed on to her grandson, Hal Harron Jr. He leased it to Cornelius J. Dwyer, who bought it outright in 1932. Dwyer became infamous for opening a speakeasy and gambling casino in 1933, operating it in defiance of Prohibition laws. These activities finally ended in 1952 but Dwyer continued to run the restaurant until 1975. The new owners continued to run the restaurant and eventually converted the house into a hotel. The current owners bought the house in 1992. They added the modern wing in 2003.

Belhurst Castle is a historic residence in Geneva, New York that has been operating as a hotel for several decades. The modern addition features a winery, restaurant (there is another restaurant in the house itself), a spa-salon, event space for weddings and other gatherings, and the Vinifera Inn. Belhurst Castle also operates another hotel called White Spings Manor, which is located two miles to the west. 

The house was built in 1889 by Carrie Young Harron and her husband Louis Dell Collins and is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the house also features a solarium, projecting porches, and towers with conical roofs. 

Belhurst Castle

Located inside the c.1829 historic Prouty-Chew House, the Geneva History Museum preserves and promotes the history of Geneva. Operated by the Geneva Historical Society, it features permanent and changing exhibits that explore the city's growth and development from prehistoric times to the present day. The museum also offers a number of educational programs for people of all ages. It also maintains a collection of historical objects including clothing, letters, photos, and paintings. The oldest items date to the 1700s. There is also an archive, which contains books, diaries, letters, and other two-dimensional paper materials. The Society acquired the house in 1960. 

Geneva History Museum

By the early 1900s, the National Guard unit stationed at the armory (the&nbsp;34th&nbsp;Separate Company, which was later designated to Company B) needed more space. This prompted the state legislature to allocate funding for the expansion. The towers were added to give the building a more imposing appearance and to remind citizens that the federal government was there to protect them from unrest, primarily from labor strikes (armories around the country were reconfigured to&nbsp;look more like castles). During the 1890s and early 1900s, communities across the country were experiencing labor strikes as Socialists and Communists were attempting to organize workers, many of whom were immigrants.&nbsp; Unlike armories around the country, which were proving to be inadequate (in general, space to expand was limited for newer military vehicles, which had become larger), the National Guard has continued to use Geneva Armory for its original purpose. It remains an important landmark for the community.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Geneva Armory is home to A Troop 2 Squadron of the 101st Cavalry of the Army National Guard. The historic building was first built in 1892 and expanded in size in 1906, giving it its current castle-like appearance with two towers, the taller one of which is 4.5 stories high. The armory is significant for its Late Victorian and castle architecture and for the military presence it provided to the city and region. For these reasons, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. 

Geneva Armory

The Opera House was converted into a&nbsp;movie theater in 1931, a transition that included the addition of Art Deco and Baroque architectural elements. In the mid-1990s, the building was renovated; the exterior was converted back to its original Romanesque appearance and the Art Deco interior was restored. A number of famous artists have performed here including Bruce Springsteen, Wynton Marsalis, and Billy Joel.&nbsp;

Declared an "architectural gem" by the New York Times and the Smithsonian Institution, the Smith Opera House is one of the country's oldest operating performing arts centers. Designed in the Romanesque style, it was built in 1894 by businessman and philanthropist William Smith, who wanted to provide a place where residents of Geneva could enjoy entertainment and culture. During its early years, vaudeville acts performed here. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, the Opera House remains an integral part of the community.

Smith Opera House

William Strong bought the property in 1802 and built a much smaller house that is now the Visitor Center. He earned his wealth in the banking industry,&nbsp; becoming an elite member of society, a position that afforded him the opportunity to host President Martin Van Buren (in office from 1837-1841) at the mansion. Robert Swan's father, who was a very wealthy man himself (one of the richest in New York City), purchased Rose Hill in 1850 as a wedding gift for Robert and his wife Margaret Johnston, who got married that year. Robert had been in Geneva since 1848&nbsp;when he moved from New York City to restore his health (it is not clear what was ailing him). He lived with a local family, the Johnstons, to learn farming. During this time, he fell in love with Margaret.&nbsp; The farming technique Robert devised was to use drainage tiles throughout the farm to get rid of spring water. During the first year on the farm, he installed 16,000 tiles. Happy with the results, he eventually installed 61 miles of tiles on the farm which was 344 acres in size. He increased productivity from five bushels per acre to 50 bushels. His success earned him an award from the New York State Agricultural Society in 1858, to which he became its president in 1881.&nbsp; After he died in 1890, farming ended and gradually the house fell into disrepair. For a time it was even used as a nursing home. The Geneva Historical Society acquired it in the mid-1960s. Slaves were present at the property since Scottish-born doctor Alexander Coventry bought 900 acres in 1792. The site of the house was part of the land Alexander owned. The slaves&nbsp;he brought with him were a husband and wife and two of her children. The husband, Cuff, was able to secure some independence from Alexander in that he was allowed to grow crops and trap&nbsp;animals (he collected the fur) for his family. He was also allowed to sell these goods and keep the profits. The Coventry family moved to Utica in 1796. It is not entirely clear what happened to Cuff, his wife, and the children. Cuff might have been sold to another master in 1809.

A National Historic Landmark, Rose Hill Mansion is a large residence situated on the eastern side of Seneca Lake. Constructed by wealthy New Yor City businessman William K. Strong in 1839, it is considered one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the country. Along with the other large mansions in Geneva, Rose Hill Mansion reflects the wealth of the area generated as a result of the Erie Canal (built between 1821-1825), which stretched east to west from the Hudson River just north of Albany to Buffalo. Three main branches extended from the canal, including one (the Cayuga and Seneca Canal), that reached Seneca Lake. 

Today, Rose Hill Mansion is operated as a museum by the Geneva Historical Society. The home features period furniture, household items, and numerous paintings on display. Visitors will also learn about how owner Robert Swan pioneered farming techniques to increase agricultural output. Rose Hill is also notable for its large number of slaves, who comprised one of the largest concentrations of slaves in the state.

Rose Hill Mansion

John Johnston was born in&nbsp;Knockknolling Dalrys, Dumfrieshire, Scotland, in 1791. He immigrated to America in 1821 and made his way to Geneva, where bought the property on which the house stands. He dubbed the home "Viewfields." Since the property consisted of slopes, there were many wet areas, which was not conducive to growing crops. To fix this situation, he installed drain tiles to remove the excess water.&nbsp;Johnston remembered seeing drain tiles in Scotland as a boy and realized they would be the perfect solution. He requested two pattern tiles from Scotland and gave them to a local crock maker, who would eventually make 3,000 tiles for Johnston. By the time he retired, there were 72 miles of drain tiles on the farm. He became a leading advocate of drain tiles and wrote articles on the subject. Johnston's daughter Margaret, married Robert Swan, who came to live at the farm to learn about farming in 1848. In 1850, they moved into Rose Hill Mansion, which is located up the road. There, Swan installed drainage tiles and became a very successful farmer as well.&nbsp;

This historic home was built in 1822 by Scottish-native John Johnston, who operated a farm here. The farm became famous in the 1800s for being very productive thanks to Johnston's use of drain tiles. The first American to use them, his success earned him the nickname the "Father of Tile Drainage in America." The house features six rooms, three of which contain period furniture and other items on display (some of these belonged to the Johnstons). The other three rooms feature exhibits on agriculture, technology and innovation, and immigration—all of which relate to the Johnston family. 

Also in the house is the Mike Weaver Drain Tile Museum, which features a collection of drain tiles on display. Mike Weaver grew up in Hammondsport, which is located at the south end of Keuka Lake, and worked as a drainage, irrigation, and dam building consultant. He began collecting drain tiles in 1950 and continued for over 40 years. He donated the majority of the collection, along with various documents, to the Geneva Historical Society in 1993.

Johnston House and Drain Tile Museum

The American Civil War
Memorial consists of single monuments for every man who lived in Waterloo who
lost their lives in the war. There is
also a North-South monument remembering all those who died. This monument is made of rocks that were
distributed from the 36 states that made up the country when the war was
over. There is a monument for women as
well to remember the service of those women who were involved in the war. The Unit Cenotaph documents the units that
Waterloo and Seneca County men were a part of and names the battles they were
involved in. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The monument's central feature is a&nbsp;marble pillar and&nbsp;flame that burns in honor of the soldiers and their service in preserving the Union. The monument also includes a replica of an American flag from&nbsp;1865. It was the citizens of
Waterloo who helped make the American Civil War Memorial. In 2007 locals joined with each other to
start, cutting out the monuments.&nbsp;
Engraved in the star rock are 620 stars coated with 23K gold.&nbsp; Every star stands for 1000 deaths in the
war.&nbsp; The site was also decorated with
lilacs and other plants.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On 25 August, 2009 The Daughters of Union Veterans of the
Civil War 1861-1865, New York Department laid claim to the American Civil War
Memorial.&nbsp; They control the place,
setting up special occasions here, showing visitors around, and running
activities. &nbsp;Before it was the name we
call it now, Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day. It associated with the process of adorning
the grave of Civil War troops with corsages of lilacs. Due to a decision made by the U.S. Congress
and declaration made by President Lyndon Johnson, Waterloo was named as the
origin of Memorial Day in 1966.&nbsp;
Established on 20 September 2008, this memorial pays respect to those
who died and were therefore subject to the first Memorial Day 5 May 1866. 1

The American Civil War Memorial in Waterloo honors area residents who served the Union during the war. The monument was designed by Pietro del Fabro from Princeton Junction New Jersey. The monument consists of small memorials to each local soldier who died in the conflict.  and can be found along the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. 

American Civil War Memorial

The library's history dates back to 1830 when the Waterloo Library Association, the predecessor to&nbsp;the Waterloo Historical Society,&nbsp;was established. The Society was formed in June of 1875 but later was incorporated by the state to become the&nbsp;Waterloo Literary &amp; Historical Society. In March the next year, the organization changed its name to the&nbsp;Waterloo Library &amp; Historical Society. The library itself took three years to build.

The historic Waterloo Library was built in 1883 in the Queen Anne style. Founded in 1875, it is one of the oldest libraries continuously operating in the state. It features a 140-seat venue called Fatzinger Hall that hosts lectures, musical and theatrical performances, readings, and other events. A modern addition, Terwilliger Museum, was built in 1960 and features exhibits about Waterloo's history. Numerous items and artifacts are on display including vehicles, Native American artifacts, maps, photographs, currency, antique guns, and dolls. The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Geneva to Waterloo New York Driving Tour

Nester House (Geneva On the Lake)

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information