Mrs. E.B. Bickford

Tinelli's Hathaway House Added to National Historic Register
by Shirley Heppell
Cortland County Historian
Solon - Tinelli's Hathaway House in Solon has recently been added to the distinguished National Register of Historic Places. This honorary recognition is awarded to properties throughout the United States that are worth preserving because of their historic and architectural significance.
Built in 1844 by Samuel G. Hathaway, this house in Solon's then sylvansetting replaced an earlier frame family residence located at the northwest corner of Lapp Road and Rt. 41 which had burned. According to family tradition, Hathaway was his own architect, and some researchers allege that George Cole, a Cincinnatus builder, had a hand in construction.
This imposing 2 1/2 story Greek Revivial style house is constructed of field stone said to have come from nearby Trout Brook, while the stone of the wing is said to be from Quarry Brook north of the site and 'sledded down by oxen'. House walls two feet thick were planked on the inside and covered with plaster. All wood used for the interior - ash for the wing - came from the Hathaway property.
As a rural manor house, it has no equal in Cortland County. In size, materials and style only the homes of the wealthiest merchants in Cortland and Homer Villages rivaled this mansion. Today most of these residences have either disappeared or have been visibly altered, while Hathaway House still retains the integrity of the original house both inside and out despite recent additions.
The structure reflects a conservative building style with which Hathaway, a Massachusetts native, was undoubtedly familiar. At the same time it mirrors the classical fashion of the day. The block form of the main section, a three part entablature at the roof line, the Ionic columned entrance porticos that repeat the roof etablature and the frieze windows on the north side of the main section are all features common to the Greek Revival style.
Just as the exterior has not been altered, neither has the interior. Though (sic) careful stewardship by the Hathaway family for 115 years and by subsequent owners, the interior has retained, with an almost pristine look, its Greek Revival Characteristics. The mansions story is that of a 19th century residence "gay and hospitable", where reputedly Presidents Pierce and Buchanan were entertained. It served also as an administrative center for several thousand acres of land which General Hathaway owned largely in the Town of Solon.
Much has already been written about the patrician-featured Samuel G. Hathaway of distinguished lineage. At age 9 he began making his own way in the world. After a stint at sea he headed west into New York State, settling first in Chenango County about 1803, then moving to Lot 2 Cincinnatus, now Freetown. Shortly thereafter, he married Sally Emerson of Solon and moved to that town in 1819. Politically he was an ardent Democrat who prided himself on having first voted for Thomas Jefferson. Like Jefferson, he was a man of varied interests and accomplishments. Always the agrarian, he also enjoyed the political arena, in which he served as advisor and participant. After representing
Cortland County in the New York State Assembly in 1814 and 1818, he was elected to the State Senate and finally to Congress in 1832. He was chosen elector for Franklin Pierce in 1852. On the loal (sic) level he was elected Justice of the Peace for 48 years and he married, buried and settled disputes among his neighbors with whom his word carried great authority. In the New York State Militia he rose through the ranks to be commissioned Major-General and is known to have drilled his troops in the field across from the house on the south side to the present Route 41. Influences of this romantic personality and his equally colorful family still pervade the charming manor house in its quiet environment at Solon's four corners.