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Historical Transaction
A peice of history up for sale. Going once, going twice, sold!
Imagine unknowingly purchasing a historical landmark. Value, significance, and historical richness, all for sale, and you bought it.
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19th century Sketch of the Keese-Smith property.According to Don Papson, that’s what happened to Frank and Jaqulin Perusse when they purchased the Samuel Keese Smith house in Peru, NY back in 2006.
“They (the Perusses) didn’t even know the house was a historical landmark until the deal was closed. I was giving a tour of the house and that’s how they found out,” says Don Papson, President of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association.
“They didn’t even know the house was a historical landmark until the deal was closed. I was giving a tour of the house and that’s how they found out”
Originally from Springfield Mass. Francis Perusse, 71, and his wife Jaqulin Perusse, 72, were in the market for a new home.
“We needed something that would accommodate us and my 95-year-old mother in law. This was big enough for the family and had a good view and good location,” says Perusse.
Perusse says the age of the Smith property is one of the qualities that attracted him and his wife in their search for a new home. “My wife loves older houses and this property was built in 1813,” says Perusse.
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Underground RailRoad sign at the entrence of the property.In combination with his wife’s love for vintage and old property, Perusse says he is in awe of the house’s historical value. Ironically, the Smith House was originally built by a slave owner, John Haff. Haff’s son, Abraham, sold the property to Samuel Keese Smith, an abolitionist and underground railroad agent.
The house—formerly owned by a slave owner—was now owned by someone in the fight against slavery.
The property’s ownership then shifted to the Staffords when Richard Stafford purchased the house in 1948. The name then became the Haff-Smith-Stafford farm.
“Me and my wife love the fact that we bought a place of such historical significance,” says Perusse. The purchasing of the Smith property has sparked an interest in the underground railroad’s history. Perusse has since become a member of the Underground Railroad Association, which is headed by Papson.
Perusse is also on the hunt for any piece of history related to the newly purchased property. “I want to learn everything I can about this property and land, so I’m heavily involved with the association,” says Perusse.
Previous owners of the Smith property, Jim and Judith Stafford, opened the house for public tours. For insurance reasons, the Perusse’s aren’t able to follow in the Stafford’s foot steps in keeping the house a semi-public property. They had tried to obtain a federal grant, but due to a variety of “financial Catch-22’s, we had to turn down the grant,” says Perusse.
However, the Perusses are more than willing to show curious visitors a look at the inside of the property. “I have no objection if people want to come and observe the property because of its place in history; just make an appointment in advance,” says Perusse.
Papson acknowledges that the Perusses have demonstrated the same concern the Staffords had for the property. “The Perusses have done a lot of restoring on the property. Although it’s not open to the public he (Francis Perusse) let's people stop by and see,” Papson says.
Current photo of the Keese-Smith property, also referred to as the Stafford Farm. Now owned by the Perusse's. |
The Staffords, who lived on the property since 1948,originally used it as a farm. Jim Stafford says around the year 2000, there was a resurgence of interest in the underground railroad and its history. In that sense, the property was a way for people to gain access and connect with a dark time in America’s history.
For the couple, selling the house was bittersweet. "I'll really miss it," Stafford says.
The Perusses have already established a connection with the house; it's almost as if a love of the property transferred along with the deed. "I have a sense of pride for owning a house with historical ties."
Emotional Tides
Strong emotional connection equals emotional separation for the Safford’s, former owners of the Smith Property.
“Growing up it was just a farm,” says Jim Stafford, “I never really thought about it , as I a kid I use to play in the secrete room; it was dark, damp, and filled with cobwebs.”
Although the sentimental value of the Smith property was obvious to Stafford growing up, it took some time for him to become in touch with the historical value of the property.
“I developed a respect for the property coming back to it as an adult. Things become important to you at different stages in your life,” he said.
While renovating the property prior to selling it, Stafford lived in the house and use it as an opportunity to come to terms with the separation “It was a chance to process what the place meant personally from when I was a child on the farm and what it meant as an adult,” he says.
The power of the smith property is apparent; will it have the same effect on the Peruses?