Hannum House

Hannum House is believed to have been built circa 1840, as Skaneateles evolved from a farming settlement into a more diversified community. Sawmills, gristmills, and woolen mills were thriving, powered by water from Skaneateles Lake. Spencer Hannum, for whom Hannum House is named, moved to the village in 1828 to establish a foundry. He employed 20... to 30 men in the manufacture of machinery for the woolen mills. After marrying Abigail Huff of Skaneateles, Hannum built his home beside the Sherwood Inn, on the main thoroughfare through Skaneateles. Public-spirited as well as entrepreneurial, Hannum was twice elected president of the young village and helped steer it through a period of major growth. In 1862 Hannum House was sold to Shuler D. Conover, a retired gentleman farmer. In 1898 it was sold to Norman Orlando Shepard, whose family had settled in Skaneateles more than a century earlier. Like many descendants of early settlers, Shepard preferred business to farming; in 1876, he established Hall and Shepard Dry Goods at 48 East Genesee St. in Skaneateles.Read More