Built in 1828, it was the home of Elkanah Watson (1758–1842), a businessman and diplomat best known for founding and promoting the idea of agricultural fairs.

Its front facade is five bays wide, with the center three sheltered by a two-story projecting portico with round columns supporting a pedimented gable.

A porte-cochere of similar design but only a single story in height projects from the center of the south facade.

[3] Elkanah Watson was a Revolutionary-era diplomat, banker and businessman, and an early promoter of canals in New York State.

He developed this idea while living in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, out of an incident where he tethered two merino sheep to a tree on the town common.