LeRoy House

Welcome to the LeRoy House, formerly the land office for the Triangle Tract.  Enlarged in 1822, it became a residence for Jacob LeRoy, the land agent for the Triangle Tract and son of Herman LeRoy, the town’s namesake.

Jacob LeRoy and his wife Charlotte moved into the house in 1822.  They lived there with their nine children and several servants until they moved back to New York City in 1837.

From 1856 to 1864, Samuel Cox, the first Chancellor of Ingham University (one of the earliest universities for women in the United States), lived in the house.  His sixteen-year-old daughter wrote about her memories of living in the house and attending Ingham University across the street.

In 1864, the LeRoy Academic Institute built a school building behind the LeRoy House, and the LeRoy House became a boarding House for students and faculty.

In 1939, Edward Spry, his wife, and two boys were the last family to live in the house.  Mr. Spry was the Superintendent of the LeRoy Union Free School across the street.

Threatened by demolition, the house was donated to the LeRoy Historical Society in 1942 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Three floors are open to the public, and the rooms are furnished in different periods, reflecting the people who lived there. Visit the circa 1822 land office where Jacob LeRoy did business; the circa 1878 Front Parlor, decorated in the Eastlake style with several paintings by Ingham University students on display. Hanging in the Back Parlor, circa 1860, is a portrait of Marietta and Emily Ingham, who founded Ingham University. Between its founding in 1837 and its closing in 1892, 8000 women attended the university. The Kitchen, circa 1930, is furnished with various hand-held and electric appliances typical of the day.

The basement features a circa 1830 kitchen with an open hearth fireplace and brick oven. The Pottery Room features redware from the nearby Morganville pottery, Western New York stoneware, and a collection of equipment used for butter making.

On the second floor, the LeRoy Bedroom, circa 1830, features several pieces belonging to the LeRoy family. Another bedroom displays many toys that children who lived in the house would have played with over the years.