Education at the Heart of Hull House

The architecture of the Hull’s home was fairly new to this area as few settlers could afford the opulence of the Federal style. This is a large stone home and not at all like the simple wooden structures that most settlers inhabited. Docents will guide you through the house and explain the architectural significance of key elements of the dwelling.  …and for teachers or parents of  9 to 11 year olds, be sure to read "The Ghost and Me, Joey"  by Iris Drzewiecki, a book of historical fiction based on the Hull family and their home.

As restoration and our educational program development progresses, it is our goal to expand the telling of the stories inherent to our site—the role of pioneer settlers in the development of Western New York, to a time dating to before the building of the Erie Canal, the daily life during that time, and the relationship between Hull, Joseph Ellicott and the Holland Land Company. The Hull settlers played roles in the development of our nation including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the burning of Buffalo in December 1813, and the Civil War. There is great importance in telling the stories of white settlers to the Native American lands, and how the family was involved in the issues of black slavery during abolition. They have links to the broader pattern of westward expansion of the United States and migration of some of the Hull children to six Midwestern states by the 1850’s.

The development of the land and the beginning of agriculture in Western New York is a story all its own. New England farming techniques were adapted to the rich soil of this area and new crops were established. Our unique weather patterns also played  large part in the success or failure of the annual harvest. With the full restoration of the barn, development of pastures, a kitchen garden and cultivation of fields, we will have a small working farm to demonstrate the full experience of a frontier farm.