Benjamin Bowen House

Benjamin Bowen House
Benjamin Bowen House, July 2010
Location 7482 Main St., Newport, New York
Coordinates 43°11′16″N 75°3′9″W / 43.18778°N 75.05250°W / 43.18778; -75.05250Coordinates: 43°11′16″N 75°3′9″W / 43.18778°N 75.05250°W / 43.18778; -75.05250
Area 1.3 acres (0.53 ha)
Built 1812
Architectural style Federal
NRHP Reference # 98001342[1]
Added to NRHP November 5, 1998

Benjamin Bowen House, also known as "What Cheer Hall," is a historic home located at Newport in Herkimer County, New York. It is a two story, nearly square limestone block residence in the Federal style. Also on the property is a stone smokehouse.[2]

What Cheer Hall was built in 1812 by Benjamin Bowen (1759-1824) who came from Rhode Island with the financial backing of his brothers, Dr. William Bowen and Ephraim Bowen Esq. to establish a saw mill, a grist mill, a distillery, and the Newport Cotton Manufacturing Co. along the banks of the West Canada Creek using a dam and diversion canal. Bowen left Newport for Tennessee after suffering financial losses in 1815. His daughter, Lydia, eventually acquired the property and it was subsequently passed down through the generations through her oldest stepson, Standish Barry Jr., until 1944. Since then the house has had a new family about every ten years.[2]

The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[1]

References


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