Prouty-Chew House and Museum

Charles Butler, a Geneva attorney, built the Prouty-Chew House as a Federal style home in 1829. Phineas Prouty, a local merchant, purchased the home in 1842. The property remained in the Prouty family for 60 years. Between 1858 and 1883, extensive alterations were made to the house, giving it the eclectic look seen today. Beverly Chew, the great-grandson of Phineas Prouty, purchased the home in 1921. In 1960, Mr. and Mrs. Beverly Chew conveyed their family home to the Geneva Historical Society. The Society welcomed the opportunity to restore the South Main Street home, and decorated it with period furnishings donated by Society members. Visitors to the house will immediately sense the Society's effort to recreate the lifestyle of a prominent family living in mid-19th-century Geneva. The interior of the home retains its Federal era details in the front parlor and dining room. The house also includes a Victorian Parlor with furnishings reflective of the decorative taste prevalent in the second half of the 19th century when the home was enlarged and modernized. Shortly after acquiring the Prouty-Chew House, the Society built an addition to serve as a modern exhibit space and collections storage area. This addition, completed in 1965, today contains the Hucker Gallery, which provides space for large exhibits and lectures, as well as room for children’s programming and activities.