At the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783 land speculators bought up large tracts of land in the western part of New York in the hopes of making a profit by subdividing and selling it to settlers who were anxious for inexpensive land suitable for farming. In 1792 Lincklaen, working for the Holland Land Company, checked out the area around the lake claiming, “…situation superb, fine land.” Settlers came and Cazenovia grew.
In 1807 Linckaen had his home, the neoclassic Lorenzo, built and the home stayed in the family until 1968 when it was sold to New York State. All the furnishings currently in the house belonged to the family. There are 56,000 items in the collection including landscapes by some of the Hudson River School artists and four family portraits by Samuel B. Morse.
The servant’s quarters are just as interesting as the house. The wall-mounted call buttons are on the wall in the kitchen indicating which room the servant should check on. At one time the grounds comprised of 1000 acres but now it is only 89 acres. The gardens are lovely in the summertime and well-maintained. Take note of the Appleton Playhouse, the horse watering trough, and take a walk in the woods through the Dark Aisle. The Carriage House Museum is home to a variety of carriages and displays that add to the information about the house and times from 1807 to 1968.
http://http://www.examiner.com/article/visit-lorenzo-on-beautiful-cazenovia-lake
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