Sale of Antiques Brings
Hundreds to Historic Home
Belmont, May 31, 1947
Villa Belvidere, the historic 137 hear old
mansion looking out over spreading lawns onto the graceful curves of the upper Genesee River was visited by hundreds of Western New York residents Friday and today. They knew a bit of the
history of the Church family, original settlers, and of the 30 room brick and stone home that had housed several families since the original owners moved out.
The immediate drawing card, however was an
auction of all the furnishings of this old home. The fact that the home has been closed to the public for ten years, with much of the furniture, paintings, pictures, books and other
articles remaining there, but added to the interest of many who had read the homes history.
Pure curiosity drew many who were eager to
see the reputed antiques and the bric-a-brac still in the home. They roamed through the drawing room, the nursery and the old land office and the other ground floor rooms of the home.
Tragedy Recalled.
Interest was added by the tragic sudden
death in Wellsville April 16 last of Hubert H. D’Autremont, 58, of Tucson, Ariz., a descendant of one of the first families to settle Allegany County, on the eve of his purchase of Villa
Belvidere and its farm acres. He had planned to restore the mansion as a country home.
The present owners of Villa Belvidere are
two daughters of the late S. Hoxie Clark and Mrs. Clark. They are Mrs. Albert W. Lind of New York and Mrs. Allen Gurganious of Alatza, Fla. Mrs. Lind and Mrs. And Mrs. Gurganious are at
the home during the two day sale of its furnishing. The sale is under charge of Mr. and Mrs. O; Rundle Gilbert of New York.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark had traveled all over
the world and made purchases of rare prints, picture, chinaware, glassware and other articles which found their way into this summer home which they occupied for many years.
Buyers from Wide Area
An interested spectator was Charles E.
Whitcomb, Belvidere hamlet resident, who knows more about the history of the Church family than any other man hereabouts. While his father was farm superintendent for Major Church, he
resided on the Belvidere farm for 19 years.
He still cherishes a timber of the White
House, so called because it was the first painted house in the Genesee Country and he is probably the only man who knows the location of this early house long since removed. It was the
predecessor of the present mansion.
Some buyers of the rare articles in the
home are present from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as New York State. Memorial Day holiday found hundreds of buyers on the scene from Buffalo, Rochester and the villages of
nearby communities.