Local History House on South Delaware Street, Stamford

STAMFORD - Through the years I would look at these photos labeled Margaret Frisbee house fire 1964 and wonder where was or is the house. The photo was originally a slide, housed in the Stamford Village Library history room, that was scanned.

The house is situated at 6 South Delaware Street and no longer has the lovely porch but the house is still the same. I could not figure out who built the house but it was there in 1890 when Davis Hubbard purchased the house on Delaware Street (North and South Delaware were not distinguished yet). It does not sound like he lived there much because the June 10, 1897 Jefferson Courier Stamford column stated- Davis Hubbard of Oneonta, has been in town the past week superintending the work of laying sewer pipe from his residence on Delaware street to the main sewer pipe. Perhaps he just bought it to rent in the summer.

Charles L. Andrus (1859-1934), an attorney and president of the Stamford Bank, and wife Alice owned the property, in 1900. They were living next door at 8 South Delaware as of 1893. The dirt excavated for the building of 72 Main St., in 1900, was used to fill in the old fish ponds on the property of C. L. Andrus, recently purchased of Davis Hubbard on Delaware street.

In 1902 Dr. Edgar W. Landon (1857-1929) and wife Lottie purchased the house. They called it “The Colonial” and added a spacious veranda in 1905, and an artificial lake behind the house in 1908. In 1915 and 1916 their cottage, The Colonial, was offered as a summer rental and in 1919 Edgar moved his dentist office from 65 Main to the house. Lottie owned and operated the Blue Bird Tea Room at 67 Main from 1918 to 1926 and the family lived upstairs after selling 6 South Delaware.

Hiram Delos (1851-1930) and Olive (Dibble) Frisbee purchased the house in 1922 after selling their house on Prospect St. The Frisbee's had three children: Simon B.(1893-1977), Margaret (1897-1982) and Catherine (Mrs. Gustave Mitchell). Simon lived in Binghamton and Catherine in NYC, and Miss Margaret remained in the family home until her death.

In 1929 five chickens were stolen from their poultry house and in 1931 Olive had an addition built in order to enlarge the kitchen. After Hiram's death they appeared to always rent an apartment in the house. In the 1920's Margaret was a clerk at the A&P store, then became manager of the General Cash Store in 1925 and later worked at Collin's diner (109 Main St.) as a waitress or cook. She became a member of the Ladies' Auxiliary to the Lt. Harry Pruden Jr. Post 6292, Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1948 and was elected president of the Stamford Federated Women’s Club in 1973. Margaret was selling Saint Bernard puppies in 1949. In 1959 she flew from Binghamton airport to Detroit where she visited her cousin Mrs. Lester Maxwell, the former Miss Mildred Dibble of Bloomville and visited cousins in Mesa, AZ in 1964.

The house fire at 6 South Delaware took place upstairs on May 13, 1964. Mrs. Marjorie Hartzel, who was renting the apartment in the house, moved back into her renovated rooms two months after the fire. Margaret moved back in later as she had more water and smoke damage. Marjorie moved out of the apartment in 1974 and Dr. Glen Joshpe moved in. Margaret was often in the newspaper as visiting and or entertained family and friends.

Margaret died June 4, 1982 at the Stamford Community Hospital and is buried with her parents in Riverside Cemetery, Bloomville.

According to the village street index cards, in the Stamford Village Library history room, James and Dorothy Benjamin owned it in 1989.