16 Main Street

This large house was built in 1889 for Elizabeth Allen by Hiriam Leonard.  The original building on the site, Zadok Manley’s marble factory and home, was moved back and used as a barn.  This was destroyed by fire in 1925.  Elizabeth Allen married Robert Valance in 1902, and in 1911 they moved to Arizona. The house was purchased by Newell Fulton in 1916 and sold to Mortimer Ross in 1920. The frame building is an interesting example of the Victorian “castle.”  The mansard roof, gable roof and the tower with finial are typical of that period.  Inside there is a massive oak hallway.  At the turn of the stairs (the landing) are stained glass windows, another feature the Victorians loved.  Today Pattie and Donald Cavanaugh operate the house as the Annabel Lee Bed-and-Breakfast Inn. It is in excellent condition and an important reminder of an era in the history of Geneseo.