26 Second Street

This house was built by E. W. Hudnutt for George B. Morgan about 1837.  Mr. Hudnutt had just come to Geneseo from New Jersey and had “hired out” to Mr. Morgan, a prominent contractor.  Mr. Hudnutt later built and ran a foundry at the north end of Main Street where the old Bolt house is today.

George Morgan sold the house to Browning Alvord shortly after it was completed.  Mr. Alvord, who was associated with Charles Colt in transportation of goods between Geneseo and Rochester, died in 1838, and the house was sold to Matthew Turner.  In 1845 the deed passed to his son Lyman.  Lyman Turner was superintendent of the Poor House from 1859-63.  He then moved to Connecticut where he died in 1864.  His father remained in Geneseo and died in this house in 1866 at the age of 93.

The house was then purchased by Hezekiah Allen (it was noted in the local newspaper at the time that “this is one of the finest places in the village”).  Hezekiah Allen entered the employment of General Wadsworth in the 1840’s and after the General’s death in the Civil War continued his business connections with the Wadsworth family.  He advanced to manage the estate of William Wadsworth.  Mr. Allen died in 1887 and his widow remained here until 1891 when she sold the house to George Servis.  At that time the property contained “2 large barns, 2 never failing wells, a large cistern, large brick smokehouse, grapes and fruit of almost endless variety.”

George Servis, a native of Ireland, was “a lover of horses and a good judge of horse flesh.”  He added the porch and made other improvements.  After his wife’s death in 1919, he sold the house to James Owens who had retired from farming and moved to the village.  He lived here until his death in 1932.