65 Second Street

The original part of this house was built about 1853 by Benjamin Fowler.  He sold it two years later and during the next 23 years the property changed hands seven times.  In 1878 it was purchased by Colonel John Strang who retained possession until 1905.  John Strang was a veteran of the Civil War.  He enlisted in 1862 with the 104th New York Volunteer Regiment, received many promotions and was put in command of the unit.  He served in the front lines and was taken prisoner.  Upon his release, he again took command and at the end of the war retired with the rank of Colonel.  He then resumed the study of law at Albany Law School and returned to Geneseo to practice in 1866.  In 1867 he married Louise Whitcombe of Nunda.

The Strangs moved to California in 1905 and the house was sold to Henry B. Curtis.  In 1911 he sold it to Miss Cora Northrup, a retired teacher.  In 1923, she made an addition to the north side and added the third story with its gables.  The stucco probably was applied over the clapboards at this time.  A third-story addition provided an apartment for Miss Northrup’s cousin, Edward Lindsey, who made his home with her, cared for her during her last years and eventually inherited the property.  Mr. Lindsey had spent some time in Holland where he collected quantities of tulip and Madonna lilies, which he cultivated in their garden. Following Mr. Lindsey’s death in 1935, in accordance with an agreement he had made with Miss Northrup, all of the furniture, household equipment, carpets and personal property were taken to a farm in Canadice and burned.    Silverware, jewelry and a billiard outfit went to the Rochester Municipal Museum.  The house was then sold to Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Hall.  In 1946 the Halls sold it to Colonel and Mrs. Thomas Buckley.  This was their home while their children were growing up and until after Colonel Buckley’s sudden death while fox hunting in 1962.  As a young man, Colonel Buckley accompanied Admiral Byrd on his second expedition to Antarctica.