Views of the Adams house at Clarence built in 1812 which, after long neglect, has been restored to most of its
original beauty, upper left is the artistic stone fireplace with its Dutch oven and upper right a corner of the
living room showing the hand-hewn timber walls which were buried under plaster. Below is the exterior of the house which has been changed somewhat from its original plan.

Century-old Adams House
At Clarence Is Restored

New owners find beauty of original structure hid-
den beneath layers of plaster

The old Adams house has come into
its own again. For many years it has
stood, a shabby landmark in Clarence,
growing more and more weather-
beaten, but sturdy nevertheless. Dur-
ing the greater part of the nineteenth
century it was the home of one of
Western New York's most respected
pioneers, Benjamin T. Adams.
Benjamin T. Adams bought the
house in the forties. It was built in
1812.
One of his children was born
there and all grew up there, to leave
in later years to distinguish them-
selves in public and private life else-
where.
In time the old house was rented to
strangers, and a steady deterioration
set in. The stone fireplace with its
Dutch oven and gracious mantel
piece, was covered with lathe and
plaster. The hand hewn logs of walls
and ceiling were hidden. The grounds
around the house were allowed to
grow unkempt. It was just an old
house, despised because it had no
modern conveniences.
Then it was purchased by someone
who recognized its unusual qualities,
someone who knew that the oldest
house for many miles about, a house
with a stone fireplace and a Dutch
even, deserved a kindlier fate. Mrs.
Stephen R. Gerber had lived next
door to the house in her childhood.
She and her husband decided to buy
it and remodel it, keeping its original
features intact and adding new ones
that would harmonize.
The work has been completed re-
cently. The old Adams house is the
pride of the town.
Newton C. Adams, economic analyst
of the United States bureau of labor
statistics, a grandson of Benjamin T.
Adams, visited the remodeled house
several weeks ago. After he had re-
turned to Washington, he wrote to
the Gerbers that the entire family is
pleased that the old home has fallen
into the hands of such appreciative
owners.
The original house has been con-
verted into a large living room. At one
end is the great stone fireplace with
its Dutch oven. The Dutch oven has
a door of hand wrought iron. Mr.
Adams told the Gerbers that he re-
membered the cooking of meals in
this oven, and spoke with particular
relish of the gingerbread his grand-
mother used to bake in it.
At one side of the fireplace is a
recess which formerly was a pantry.
At the other side an old-fashioned
stairway winds up to the low ceilinged
rooms above. The original house had
partitions at the other end of the
room for a bedroom and closet. Ex-
cept that these partitions have been
removed the interior of the house has
not been altered.
The wood of the mantel piece and
chimney frame was found to be rotted
when the lathe and plaster which
covered the fireplace were removed.
The present mantel and frame are re-
productions of the original ones.
The ceiling is beamed with great
hand hewn logs. The walls are of
logs, dovetailed at the corners. These
have been oiled and have a warm
brown tone.
The rooms directly over the living
room have been made into bedroom
and dressing room furnished in early
American style.
Back of the original building, the
Gerbers have built on a dining room,
sun room and kitchen downstairs, and
bedrooms and baths upstairs. All these
rooms are early American in archi-
tecture and furnishings. They are
worthy descendents of the old house
proper.
The Adams property consisted of
three acres of land, all of which the
Gerbers bought with the house. At
the back there is a stone ledge over-
looking a glen in which there are sev-
eral springs. From these springs the,
earlier owners used to carry water
up to the house. The grounds are no
longer ragged and unkempt. Flower
and vegetable gardens have been
planted and are being tended care-
fully.
Benjamin T. Adams was the grand-
son of Deacon John Adams, who was
one of the earliest settlers on the
Holland Purchase. Deacon Adams’
daughter was the first white child
born in the vicinity of East Bloom-
field (Canandaigua). Benjamin Adams……
(Please turn to Page two)

Page one
Sunday Morning, September 29, 1929
Buffalo NY Courier Express 1929

(Continued from page one)
……came to Clarence in 1855 and bought
the old house soon after. He lived in
it during the remainder of his life-
time.
His wife was Janet, who was born
in Glasgow. Scotland. Of his grand-
mother, Newton C Adams wrote: "I
think my grandmother was the most
notable character in our family and
she lived nearly 50 years in the house.
A wonderful woman of the highest
principles. For two years she was
totally blind—then an operation on
one eye gave her sight enough to
read and sew. She was an example
of faith and courage to all who knew
her."
These then are the early residents
of the old house. Many persons
in Clarence still remember Benjamin T.
Adams and his wife, Janet.
One of their sons, Edward Le Grand
Adams, who died not long ago, became
prominent as a newspaper editor and
government official in Elmira, and
later was in the consular service in
Stockholm and Dublin.
Another son, Dr. Oliver Adams
served as a surgeon in the United
States army during the Civil war. Dr.
Newton H. Adams, a third son, was
a surgeon in the United States navy
during and after the Civil war. He
traveled from San Francisco to the
East on the first through railroad
train. His daughter, Janet, was at one
time director of gymnasium work in
Buffalo Seminary and St. Margaret's.
Newton C. Adams is his son.
Elizabeth Adams, the only daugh-
ter, married the Rev. Henry R. Naylor.
D.D., of Washington. D. C.
The grandchildren, following the
example of their parents, have made
names for themselves in various lines.
One of them is Margaret Adams,
writer of stories for girls.
One son, Edward L. Adams, and one
grandson, Newton C. Adams, were the
only members of the family born in
the old Clarence home,, but all the
others were often there and are known
to the older residents of Clarence.


Page 2
Sunday Morning, September 29, 1929
Buffalo NY Courier Express 1929