Mission Statement
The Western Monroe Historical Society is committed to educating diverse audiences on the life and times of the Morgan-Manning house;
preserving this Brockport landmark as a historical museum;
providing a repository for a collection of archival materials and artifacts related to the Morgan Family;
and extending its legacy.
House History
The Morgan Homestead was built in 1854 by John Ostrom. After Mr. Ostrom's death in 1862, his daughter, Julia Ostrom Eldridge, rented the house to a Dr. Olden for a short time. In 1864, Mrs. Eldridge sold the house to James Guild of Pennsylvania. Mr. Guild then rented rooms to Dayton Samuel Morgan and his bride, Susan Joslyn Morgan. Mr. Morgan was the proprietor of the D. S. Morgan company, an early manufacturer of mechanized reapers.
Three years later, in 1867, Mr. Morgan purchased the house from Mr. Guild, and it remained in the Morgan family until the fire of 1964. The house was badly damaged, and Sara Morgan Manning, the last Morgan inhabitant of the house, died as a result of the fire.
It was the wish of Sara Morgan Manning that her home "would stand forever as a monument to the fine old traditions that are so important to our heritage."
Members of the Western Monroe Historical Society undertook the restoration of the fire-damaged house in 1965. Today, the house stands fully restored, very much like it was when the Morgan family lived in it during the 19th Century.
In 1991, the property was placed on the National Register. In 1994, Rochester's Landmark Society, which had been instrumental in helping the Historical Society gain the title to the house, honored the Society with a "Tender Loving Care Award," in recognition of the care and maintenance of the Morgan-Manning House over the past years.
