The Morgan-Manning House is now included on the trail of Brockport Community Museum interpretive panels

by Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer,
Curator of the Morgan-Manning House

On Saturday, October 10, the Brockport Community Museum (BCM), in partnership with the Western Monroe Historical Society (WMHS), presented the community with a new interpretive panel in front of the Morgan-Manning House, located at the corner of Main and South Street in Brockport. After welcoming statements by Allan Berry, President of the BCM, Mary Lynne Turner, President of the WMHS, I gave a brief presentation in my role as Curator of the Morgan-Manning House. The panel was unveiled by Jocelyn Rowley and Morgan Harrington, descendants of D. S. and Susan Morgan. Produced by the BCM and sponsored by the WMHS, it is dedicated to the memory of Fletcher and Alice Garlock, who continuously supported the WMHS. Jocelyn (Garlock) Rowley and Fletcher Garlock are the grandchildren of Gifford Morgan, D. S. Morgan’s youngest son, and an influential member of the community during his life.

Featuring both D. S. Morgan and his wife Susan as the “Spirits of the Morgan homestead,” the panel showcases the Italianate mansion that has been adorning the village since the mid-1850s, and highlights the contributions of these two Brockporters and their children, who inhabited the house for a century. D. S. Morgan, originally from Ogden, rose to prominence as a successful businessman. He is especially known for his involvement in the production of the first functioning McCormick reapers in the Globe Iron Works, the foundry he jointly owned with William H. Seymour. After the retirement of his partner, the firm came to be known as the D.S. Morgan & Co., with several offices in New York State and the Midwest. Susan Morgan was also deeply involved in the life of the village. A devout member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, she was a driving force, alongside her friend Mary Jane Holmes, in the foundation of a reading room in the village. Their project continues to benefit the community in the form of the Seymour Library. D. S. and Susan’s daughter, Sara Morgan Manning, after whom the house is named, made the most generous gift to the community. She wished for the Morgan Homestead to “stand forever as a monument to the fine old traditions that are so important to our heritage,” as stated in her will. The WMHS was formed in 1965 to honor this wish, and now uses the Morgan-Manning House as its headquarters.

This panel not only honors the involvement of the Morgan family in the economic, religious, and educational aspects of their community, it is also a tribute to all the volunteers who first formed the Society in 1965, such as Wilbur “Doc” Hiler, Harry Sentiff, Merritt Elwell, and those who have given countless hours to preserving this cultural landmark during the past 55 years. My new role as Curator is to ensure that we continue to maintain the same high standards of care and maintenance to keep the Morgan-Manning House as a community and historic center for future generations. While Brockport counts many historic structures, this house is unique. This dwelling remained in the Morgan family for a century and has retained its original features from the Victorian era, with its high-ceilinged parlors, reception room, and dining room. This distinct and grand character always greatly impresses all visitors to the house.

This panel is the result of a fruitful collaboration, started at the end of 2018, between the BCM and WMHS. The Board of Trustees of the WMHS, with Gordon Fox as President, reached out to the BCM to discuss the possibility of having an interpretive panel introducing the Morgan-Manning House to passersby, a proposal enthusiastically accepted by the BCM. As Historian of the WMHS at the time, I was responsible for the composition of the text and the image selection. I shared the writing duties with Village Historian Bill Andrews, who donned two hats as a trustee of both the BCM and the WMHS. Norman Frisch, from the BCM Exterior Displays Committee, spent countless hours on designing its layout. I am grateful for his patience as we went through many versions before we considered this panel finished. Additional material on the Morgan family and the WMHS will also soon be available as a complement to the panel on the BCM website, www.brockportcommunitymuseum.org, and will be readily accessible by scanning the Q.R. code located at the bottom of the panel.

The installation of this panel was delayed because of the current pandemic. It is, therefore, even more rewarding to see it standing now on Main Street. We wish to thank Gordy Fox, as well as Harry Donahue and his team from the DPW, for their help in this installation. It was also heartwarming to see such a large gathering of community members and Morgan family relatives. Numerous representatives of the Village Board, of the College, of the BCM, and the WMHS came to celebrate this event. We are most grateful for their participation and support. The strong wind prevented many from hearing our speeches but certainly did not prevent us from enjoying each other’s company… six feet apart. Of particular significance to me was the presence of descendants of D. S. and Susan Morgan: members of the Harrington family, related to Sara’s sister, Susanne, living in the Caledonia area, and of the Garlock family, descending from Gifford Morgan, the youngest son of the family, now residing in Clarkson and Kendall. Jocelyn (Garlock) Rowley and Morgan Harrington had the honor of unveiling this panel. It will join the other twelve interpretive panels installed by the BCM during the past fourteen years, thus creating a historic trail in Brockport, which places great value on the interpretation and preservation of its heritage for the future.