Raymond died at age five of scarlet fever in 1878; his two younger brothers followed their father into the family business.

One servant, a twenty one year old Irish cook named Margaret Stack, immigrated from Athea, County Limerick, Ireland in 1904.

Stack worked at the house from 1904 to 1911, after which she moved back to Ireland with her husband, a fellow Irish immigrant named John Lane, who she met in Cortland.

Visitors to the house can view Margaret Stack's bedroom and learn about the lives of Victorian servants.

[7][8] After Ardell's death in 1915, the house lay dormant for eight years until Frederic moved in with his wife Marian, a local poet.

[9][6] In 1873, Chester Wickwire received a carpet loom in trade at his hardware store, which he adapted to weave wire instead.

[10] The museum offers guided and self-guided tours for visitors, who can view several rooms on three floors, as well as a cupola.