Hello All,
This post is somewhat light-hearted and just for the curious fun of it.
At the links below are some photos and information about a local house which, for many, is the subject of much lore and fascination. It is an old stone house in Lockport, NY on Summit Street that is abandoned and currently for sale.
I have been in it on a tour or two several years ago. The WNY paranormal community believes that it is one of the most “haunted” properties in WNY. However, be assured that the numerous stories of murders and so forth in the house are NOT factually or historically true. I have done the research.
The real story about Francis Hitchings, a known abolitionist, who purchased the freedom of at least one black friend of his, is much more intriguing. For instance, the house may have been part of the “Underground Railroad” though there is no solid historical evidence of that popular claim at this point.
My own interest in the home is very different. When I drive by it I think about how, if it were restored, it would make a wonderful Christian Spiritual Retreat Center for underprivileged children and others. This since it is a huge stone house that sits on a 55 acre rural lot and is out of the city but is close enough to downtown Lockport so as not to be too isolated.
The mansion needs probably $1 million worth of work to truly restore it to its former and optimal state so my ideas for it are pure fantasy unless God-Wills it and Lord Knows there are many other worthy causes for such an amount of money. It’s current sale price is only about $90,000 but it still cannot sell because, as the realtor has told me and so has the current owner, “it needs a very special type of buyer,” one who has that kind of money to spare, and not miss it, since he/she will likely never get a financial return out of the investment. Such a buyer is rare to non-existent in the WNY realty market though they certainly do exist in other realty markets. Incidentally, it is not known why Hitchings (sometimes spelled Hitchins) named the home “Mount Providence” when he built it in 1834.
Nonetheless, it is an interesting piece of local history worth noting.
The first link below tells more about the home and Hitchings while the second link is the realty link. DDS
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=52504460
http://www.trulia.com/property/3017768902-325-Summit-St-Lockport-NY-14094
One Prayerful Pilgrim 
Dave,
Interesting post.
Don’t think I could “flip it” though.
we are the right people and are under contract,i developed the allegiance inn(mt morris ny) in 1993.it is twice the size ,i was told by zoning if no one came to stay it would make a good brothel. i am a believer in if you build it,they will come.this is a much smaller project and we are seasoned renovators. cindy kurk gerspach
Hi Cindy,
I am very familiar with Mt. Morris. Are you still interested in the Hitchin’s Manison Prperty?
I hope so, this is a beautiful property, and it deserves to be preserved in the history of Lockport.
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