MANSFIELD — Passersby may first notice the pillars that mark its facade, but most around town know it as the “Home on the Hill.”
Situated on California Hill Road, the house was originally built in 1845 by William Hurd Eddy, the namesake of the Eddyville hamlet in Mansfield.
Eddy moved his family of six to the area in 1843 from Herkimer County, coming by way of a team of oxen. He became one of the town’s leading merchants, manufacturing cheese boxes, and served as postmaster and justice of the peace for the town for several years.
The home is reminiscent of Greek revival architecture popular during that time, evidenced most clearly by the large front-facing pillars. The lumber for construction was furnished from a 40-acre stand of red pine Eddy had purchased for the sake of building the house. Also unique to the structure is the hand-crimped metal roof of Eddy’s own design.
Robert and Kelly Keis purchased the home in April of 1978 with the intention of restoring the historic place. The pair turned out to be appropriate residents, as Robert Keis has served as town supervisor of Mansfield for nearly 30 years.
“The house was in pretty rough shape when we bought it,” said Kelly Keis. “The drywall needed replaced. The ceiling was leaking. We have been trying to restore it to what we saw in old photos of it.”
The couple has also taken great care to keep their restorations as authentic as possible.
“There is actually an upper and lower roof and we have used the original material to replace it. It’s not just metal, it’s sheeted steel,” she said. “It was also hand-crimped using old-fashioned tools.”
While some modern materials have necessarily made their way into the house, Keis said they have tried to choose fixtures and decor that are in keeping with the original style of the home.
“We’ve tried to get wallpaper like that flock wallpaper that looks velvety, and an older-looking porcelain sink in the bathroom — things like that,” she said.
The time and effort needed to bring this old house back to its former glory was really a labor of love for Keis and especially her husband.
“My husband had grown up in this area and his parents actually rented this house when he was 9 or 10 and he decided then someday he would come back and buy it,” she said.
Additionally, Robert Keis had worked on the farm of Jim and Velma Eddy nearby as kid, baling hay and milking cows. Jim Eddy was the great-grandson of William Eddy and Robert had learned much of the structure’s history during that time.
One of the best aspects of the house, according to Keis, is the property surrounding it and the attractive landscape.
“Our favorite thing about this place is the historical aspect, but we also just love looking out at the backyard and being able to see the deer and the fauna and being able to look out over Eddyville. It’s like living in a park,” she said.
Keis added that if there was one thing she wanted people know know looking up at the big old house it that, “It’s not just a house. Our children grew up here and now our grandchildren come play here. It’s a home where we raised our family. ”
