The Geneva Historical Society Tour of Homes

The house began as a barn, originally part of a 335 acre tract of land owned by Jehphtah Earl, Jr. He built the cobblestone house (next door) and the barns in 1835 to house his family and his cattle, sheep, grain and distillery businesses.

Mr. Earl was forced to sell the property in 1837 because of financial difficulties, and it was not until a century later that Gene Boerner, of Jackson & Perkins, bought the property. Mr. Boerner, known as Papa Floribunda, was an expert on floribunda roses which he greatly improved and made popular in America. The estate on 100 Earl’s Hill Road was where he raised not only floribundas but also cattle and his beloved dachshunds.

During the 1950s the original barn burned down, and Mr. Boerner moved another, slightly smaller, barn moved from Newark, NY to this site as a replacement. The beams were all numbered so that they could be dismantled, moved and reassembled intact.

In the 1970s the barn was separated from the cobblestone and sold. The Burgess family converted the barn into a home. The original conversion, with three bedrooms and two baths, had very few windows and was generally dark inside. The basement was unfinished, the house was heated by an enormous woodstove that held 1,000 gallons of water, and the exterior was cedar shingle with a tin roof.

Bruce and Keren Tuxill bought the farm in 2006 and have completely remodeled it with the help of architect Dan Long and Dave Fitzgerald of Seneca Building Supply.

Be sure to notice: a number of antiques from the Empire period, circa 1860 and lovely views of Seneca Lake from most rooms.

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