Adapted from 1996 House Tour Guide (Pages 902-918).....

The Hendrickson-Ely-Brower House is shown on both the Walling (1859) and Beers-Comstock (1873) Maps of Roslyn as belonging to Samuel Rose Ely. It is shown on the Wolverton Map (1891) as belonging to "S. R. Ely" although, in this instance, the owner probably was Samuel Rose Ely, Jr. Francis Skillman states that the house was built in 1836 on land which had formerly belonged to Hendrik Onderdonk which had extended as far south as the southern boundary of the Hendrickson-Ely-Brower holdings ("Cider Mill Hollow"). Nothing is known of John Hendrickson. There was a "W. Hendrickson" house on the south side of the west turnpike during the second half of the 19th century. It is not even known whether or not he actually lived in the house.

The house was exhibited on the Roslyn Landmark Society's House Tours in 1962, 1963, and 1984. Considerable information is available concerning Samuel Rose Ely. There is an excellent family genealogy, "The Records of the Descendants of Nathaniel Ely", by Heman Ely of Elyria, Ohio, which was published by Short and Forman of Cleveland in 1885. In addition, Samuel Rose Ely is one of the very few Roslynians whose biography was published in Appleton's "Cyclopedia of American Biography", N.Y., 1887. In any event, Samuel Rose Ely was born in Westfield, Mass. on December 29, 1803. He attended Westfield Academy and was graduated from Williams College in 1830. He studied theology at Princeton and subsequently held Presbyterian pastorates in Carmel, N.Y., East Hampton and Brooklyn. On October 10, 1834, he married Mary Van Gilder (born 6/3/1799), the daughter of Abraham Van Gilder of New York City. In 1846 Samuel Ely's health started to deteriorate and, in 1852, "seeking repose and the quiet of country life" he bought a house in Roslyn. Within a year his health had improved sufficiently for him to assume the pastorate of the recently-built (1851) Roslyn Presbyterian Church (TG 1973-74,1990-91). He was awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree by Columbia College in 1865. He retired from his pastorate in 1871, and died, in Roslyn, on May 11, 1873. His widow continued to live in the house at least until the publication of the Ely family genealogy in 1885, although by that time she was 86 years old. A son, Samuel Rose Ely, Jr., lived at home with her. Since he was born on May 1,1837, he would have been 74 years old in 1911 when the Browers bought "Locust Hill."

However, the Belcher-Hyde Map (1906) shows the property belonging to "Mrs. Phebe A. Cornell", so there was at least one intermediary owner between the Elys and the Browers. In 1848, Henry Western Eastman and Eugene A. Hyde, "a Connecticut school partner settled at Roslyn" who was editor of the "North Hempstead Gazette" (1848-1852), founded the Roslyn Academy at Locust Hill (TG 1988-89) in a building owned by Henry W. Eastman. The Roslyn Academy operated until 1850, after which year it was used for other purposes.

On June 12,1852 the Locust Hill property was conveyed by Henry Western Eastman and Lydia Macy Eastman, his wife, to Mary V. G. Ely, wife of Samuel R. Ely, of Brooklyn, for $2,750.00 (Queens County Liber 97 of Deeds, page 490). This purchase included both the residence & the Academy building. From 1849 until 1851, when the church building was consecrated, the Roslyn Presbyterian Church held its services in the Academy building.

In 1890 Mrs. Samuel Rose Elly died and, in 1891, her son, Samuel Rose Ely, Jr., sold the Locust Hill property to Mrs. William H. Cornell. In 1911, the property was purchased by Ernest Cuyler Brower and his wife, Marion Willetts Brower. Ernest Cuyler Brower died in 1925 and, in the following year, his widow married his brother, George Ellsworth Brower. "Locust Hill" remained in Brower ownership for 66 years. In 1978 it was purchased by Peggy and Roger Gerry, who lived across the road and were anxious to protect it. They made necessary structural repairs to the mansion and donated two scenic easements to the Incorporated Village of Roslyn.

Mr. and Mrs. Wolf divided the property in 1982, selling the mansion and about 4 l/2 acres of land to Robert and Janice Hansen, and the old academy and about 2 acres of land to Patricia Maloney (TG 1983-84), who sold it to Jonathan and Kathy Rives, on February 1st, 1985. Robert and Janice Hansen sold the Mansion to the present owners on October 17th, 1993.

The Locust Hill property is shown in both the Walling Map (1859) and the Beers Comstock Map (1873) as belonging to Rev. S.R. Ely. It also is shown on the Sanborn Maps for 1908, 1920 and 1931. Earlier Sandborn Maps do not include that part of Main Street. On the three Sanborn Maps cited, the Academy Building is shown to be 25' by 40' in area and located 125 feet northwest of the mansion, and is oriented in the north-south direction. It is described on the Sanborn Maps as a one-storey building having a wood shingle roof. V3 of the building is shown as a "residence"; the remaining % for "Tool Storage." At some time shortly after 1931, the academy building was moved to its present location, 140 feet west of the Locust Hill Mansion. It also was rotated 90 degrees to the present east-west orientation.

Circa 1975. Photo by Ray Jacobs.