Carrie A. Fellows

Carrie A Fellows, Curator, (607) 937-5281, CPPHS@aol.com

In June 2001, according to documents prepared by Curator Carrie Fellows, the architectural firm of Crawford & Stearns assessed the log house's condition.It said the cabin needed repairs and suggested ways to do it.

The project is ambitious.

First, the structure will be jacked up and moved, allowing a foundation and concrete floor to be poured.

...
"When they reconstructed the house back then, they did their best, based on the information they had at the time," Fellows said."Just like we did now."

When successfully completed, the DeMonstoy cabin will be true to its period.

The completed project is expected to cost between $75,000 and $100,000.Historical Society members and museum staff hope the community will view the project as worthwhile and contribute to its restoration.

The Fourth annual Victorian Schoolhouse Christmas centered around the Inn's Browntown Schoolhouse, a restored 1878 one-room school, said Carrie A. Fellows, Patterson Inn curator.
...
Fellows said the open-house event is geared to allow children to tour the inn in a fun, interactive way.
...
"Kids are our number one group of visitors here," Fellows said.
...
"It's hard to believe someone would do something like that," said Fellows of the missing ornament.

"The specifications are extremely detailed," said Carrie Fellows, museum curator.
...
"The original logs are white oak and very resistant," Fellows said.
...
"Our cabin is much more sophisticated than we thought," Fellows said.

All materials used in the restoration will be made in the manner of the time.Bricks will be of a similar color and made in wooden molds and stair treads will be constructed with boards of varying widths of between 8 to 12 inches.

As work is being done, Cornell University is conducting tests on a core sample to determine the true age of the structure.This is accomplished by examining the rings and comparing them to other trees in the area.Fellows expects the age can be determined within a range of three to 10 years.

This will allow Fellows and the museum staff to reinterpret life in the cabin at the time it was built and change the furnishings and public presentations accordingly.

Contact: Carrie A. Fellows, Curator of Patterson Inn MuseumEmail: CPPHS@aol.com

John Roy, center, treasurer of the Corning Area Retired Teachers Association, recently presented $100 donations on behalf of the association to Pauline Emery, left, of the Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, and Carrie Fellows of the Benjamin Patterson Inn Museum in Corning.