Historic Home Tour: Harpending Mansion (1881) - 33 Main Street
As written by Mary Harpending Lane in 1978
Mary Harpending Lane is the fourth Harpending generation to live in this home since its construction by her great-grandfather, Anthony Harpending, in 1881; she and her sister, Rebecca, were both born there. Anthony's father, Samuel, was one of the earliest founders of Dundee, which was first known as Harpending's Corners. As a youth, Anthony was a clerk in the area and later became one of the village's leading merchants with the backing of his father and his wife's family, the Sutphens. Anthony built a block of brick buildings on the west side of Main Street in the downtown area, but these were destroyed by fire in 1860. A Whig in politics, he was appointed postmaster in 1841 by President Harrison and was elected Supervisor of the Town of Starkey soon thereafter. He died in 1880, shortly before this house was finished. Mrs. Lane and her late husband, Dr. Henry Lane, who was also Starkey Supervisor as well as a County Legislator, moved into the house in the 1940s with Mrs. Lane's mother, Maude Hanmer Harpending.
This house is an outstanding example of Eastlake architecture, chiefly characterized by the perforated ornamentation in the bays, porches, and lintels, as well as on the original interior woodwork, which has never been refinished. On each door are elaborately etched bronze hinges, doorknobs, and doorplates, each pattern different from the others. Two black marble fireplaces with gold trim highlight rooms off the entrance hall. Much of the home's original furniture is here in daily use, including a pre-Victorian sofa with carved bunches of grapes on the back; a library table with curled legs; a fine collection of converted oil lamps, crystal, and china; a Riley Whiting clock from Winchester, Connecticut; two side chairs with carved fan backs; and a fine collection of Victorian paintings, particularly of Anthony Harpending himself and Elizabeth Harpending at age 26, painted in 1836 by Henry Walton. Other antique accessories abound throughout the house. Guests should also note the round radiators, which are rare, and the construction of two of the upstairs bedrooms, which are connected with closets and built-in drawer units.
The dining room, which was redone in 1931, features cornice and molding around the ceiling that are copied from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home. A door leading onto a closed side porch contains stained glass with a rose center.
Mary Harpending Lane is the fourth Harpending generation to live in this home since its construction by her great-grandfather, Anthony Harpending, in 1881; she and her sister, Rebecca, were both born there. Anthony's father, Samuel, was one of the earliest founders of Dundee, which was first known as Harpending's Corners. As a youth, Anthony was a clerk in the area and later became one of the village's leading merchants with the backing of his father and his wife's family, the Sutphens. Anthony built a block of brick buildings on the west side of Main Street in the downtown area, but these were destroyed by fire in 1860. A Whig in politics, he was appointed postmaster in 1841 by President Harrison and was elected Supervisor of the Town of Starkey soon thereafter. He died in 1880, shortly before this house was finished. Mrs. Lane and her late husband, Dr. Henry Lane, who was also Starkey Supervisor as well as a County Legislator, moved into the house in the 1940s with Mrs. Lane's mother, Maude Hanmer Harpending.
This house is an outstanding example of Eastlake architecture, chiefly characterized by the perforated ornamentation in the bays, porches, and lintels, as well as on the original interior woodwork, which has never been refinished. On each door are elaborately etched bronze hinges, doorknobs, and doorplates, each pattern different from the others. Two black marble fireplaces with gold trim highlight rooms off the entrance hall. Much of the home's original furniture is here in daily use, including a pre-Victorian sofa with carved bunches of grapes on the back; a library table with curled legs; a fine collection of converted oil lamps, crystal, and china; a Riley Whiting clock from Winchester, Connecticut; two side chairs with carved fan backs; and a fine collection of Victorian paintings, particularly of Anthony Harpending himself and Elizabeth Harpending at age 26, painted in 1836 by Henry Walton. Other antique accessories abound throughout the house. Guests should also note the round radiators, which are rare, and the construction of two of the upstairs bedrooms, which are connected with closets and built-in drawer units.
The dining room, which was redone in 1931, features cornice and molding around the ceiling that are copied from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home. A door leading onto a closed side porch contains stained glass with a rose center.
Seated in the car are: Mary Rebecca Harpending (Old Beck), Mary Shannon Harpending, Spencer R. Harpending, and Bugs the pit bull.
There is not a date on the original photo, but the car appears to be a model T circa 1910