Historical Sites - The Rice Homestead

The year was 1788. The Revolutionary War had been fought and won by the American people. The country was still in its infancy of freedom and towns and villages needed to be built in many areas that had not yet been established. People began to travel and settle in different parts of the new country and that is how Oliver and Ebenezer Rice came to the area known as Four Corners, which later became Mayfield, NY.

Ebenezer did not remain in Four Corners but Oliver did and became the founding father of Riceville, NY.

Rice’s original home, a one room dwelling with a loft for a sleeping area, was built in 1790. In 1810 he built a larger home and attached the original 1790 dwelling to the back of the newer home. This is what is now known as the Rice Homestead and houses the Mayfield Museum and is also headquarters of the Mayfield Historical Society.

Oliver Rice was born in Willington, Connecticut in July of 1768. Legend has it that he was a messenger boy for George Washington and a historical marker, which has been placed in front of the house, notes his involvement in the American Revolution. It is also believed that when the war ended the newly formed government of the United States of America slapped this young boy on the back, said, “good job son” and gave him several acres of land in what is now Riceville, NY. Mary Alice Hartman, an ancestor of Rice’s, states that he bought an additional five acres of land on the Mayfield Creek for $2.20 an acre.

At 22 years of age, Rice built his first home and began farming the land that surrounded his one room dwelling. He also started a Grist Mill and a Woolen Mill, also known as a Fulling Mill. As his business and family began to grow, his need for more space grew as well and in 1810 he built the larger home. He then moved his first home across the road and attached it to the back of the new home.

Rice continued to farm and work the mills until 1831 at which time he became the Post Master of Mayfield. The largest room of his house was used for this business and the original mail slots can be viewed today at the Homestead. Rice would travel by horseback to Johnstown twice a week carrying the mail in his hat and, later, in a leather bag. Although today it may seem like a relatively short and easy trip to go from Mayfield to Johnstown, in 1831 Rice was riding mainly through a wilderness area and there were many dangers to be faced. Wild animals were numerous as well as other possible travel hazards. The leather bag that Rice used on these journeys is in possession of the Mayfield Museum and is another item which can be viewed at the Rice Homestead. The Mayfield Historical Society also has the original postal appointment certificate signed by William Barry, Postmaster General of the United States, in 1833, and was appointed by Andrew Jackson, President of the United States.

The house itself is of impressive size considering the time in which it was built. There are two stories plus a cellar and a full attic. On the first floor is a large living area, which was also used for the postal service. This room has a large gold framed mirror that was given to Mary Rice on her wedding day in 1875.

There are two other rooms that may have been used as “sitting rooms”. There is also a possibility that there was a family member who was in poor health and one of the downstairs rooms may have been used as a bedroom. In one room Oliver Rice hand painted the floor and, although it has been repainted since, the original design has been maintained and preserved. In the summertime this floor was bare and may have been put on display for others to see. In the winter time the floor would be covered with hay and a layer of blankets and everyone in the family, ( Oliver had seven children, four of which died very young ) would sleep together on the hay in order to keep warm.

The kitchen is also on the first floor and this is the original “Dutch Oven Room” that was a part of the 1790 house. In this room there is a Dutch Oven fireplace and a sandstone sink which chamber pots were emptied into and the waste would be carried directly outside.

On the second floor there are four rooms, most likely used as bedrooms during the warmer months of the year. There are many treasures in these rooms including rope beds and a marble top dresser all dating back to the early 1800’s.

It is apparent that no descendants of Rice’s were involved in the Civil War or World War I or World War II. There are no records indicating any military service having been performed by any of the Rice family, other than Oliver’s role in the Revolution. It was widely rumored that the house was used as a dwelling place for slaves seeking refuge while traveling the underground railroad. Betty Tabor, the Mayfield Historian states that there is no substantial evidence to verify that claim and that Mary Rice Creekmore, a family member who lived in the house, also stated there was no validity to that assumption.

There is a political figure in the lineage of Oliver Rice however. Lucius Rice, a great grandson of Oliver Rice was elected Secretary of the Treasury for the state of Idaho in 1898, after having left Riceville. Lucius never lost his love for the homestead though, and would return to New York State and spend five months out of the year, May through September, in his childhood home in Riceville, until his death in 1953.

In 1936 the Department of Interior at Washington D.C. reconstructed the plans for the homestead and dubbed it “ one of the few purely American Colonial homes still in existence in the United States”.

The Mayfield Historical Society purchased the property in 1992. The house was placed on the State Register of Historic Places in January of 1995 and on the National Register in March of 1995.

Betty Tabor and members of the Historical Society feel that the Rice Homestead is a valuable part of the community and it has become their home away from home. Sylvia Parker, President of the Society says, “It adds richness to the history of Mayfield and Riceville”. Elaine Holmlund, the Publicist for the Society, feels that it gives Mayfield a focal point. And, Betty Tabor says the Homestead is a very important part of the local area because the family founded Riceville.

Mary Alice Hartman, granddaughter of Lucius Rice and also the oldest living descendent of Oliver Rice, states that she is, “ very happy the Historical Society has the house. They have done a wonderful job of preserving the integrity of the original home”.