Local landmarks make registers


By: TOM DONAHUE, The Times Herald April 23, 2002


PORTVILLE - There were two celebrations of local history in Portville Sunday, each marking the placement of local landmarks on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.


The designations go to the unique American chestnut cabin at the Pfeiffer Nature Center on Lillibridge Road in the town of Portville, and to the William E. Wheeler House on Maple Avenue in the village.

Both are connected in history. The late Timothy Pfeiffer built the Chestnut log cabin in 1939-40. His wife, Eleanor Wheeler, was the daughter of the original builder of the 125-year-old William E. Wheeler House.

The chestnut cabin is the signature structure of the Pfeiffer Nature Center, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998. The center was established to preserve old-growth forest on the 188-acre hilltop site and to use the land for scientific research and the education of schoolchildren and others in the community.

The cabin and its furnishings are built from American chestnut, a tree that was wiped out by a blight that spread across the continent earlier last century. It is thought to be a one-of-a-kind structure.

Timothy Pfeiffer gave the land and cabin to his daughter, Wendy Pfeiffer Lawrence, who established the center and its mission before she died in 1998.

The cabin may become a museum, said Darlene Goetzman, acting director of the center.

"Plans are not fully fleshed out, but the idea is to convert it into a museum," she said. "I imagine it will take several dimensions, including preservation of the Pfeiffer and Wheeler family histories and how they are connected to the local community."

There are also discussions under way regarding construction of a shelter on the property to use as a classroom and office. Presently the log cabin is the only building on the property and the center's office is located on Main Street in the village, about four miles from the center.

The center will soon train volunteers who will conduct programs and tours at the site, and a naturalist is expected to be hired in the next few weeks, said Ms. Goetzman.

The effort to place the cabin on the state and national historical registers was spearheaded by Nick Vaczek, a nephew of Wendy Pfeiffer Lawrence.

His work mirrored that of Thomas and Ronda Pollock, who bought the William E. Wheeler House from Wendy's father in 1972. They used original drawings of the home to restore it in what Mrs. Pollock said has been a 30-year "labor of love."

The Pollock home is thought to be the only private home in Cattaraugus County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.


©The Times Herald, Olean, N.Y. 2002