1330 Calkins Road

Tax Account #176.08-2-4

Added 4/20/1983 - Resolution #9-112/1983

• Recipient of the "Henrietta Architectural Heritage Award 2021" - Molly and David Nikodem - for the exceptional care they have shown in maintaining this lovely farmhouse.

Probably built in the 1830s, the beautiful federal style colonial house at 1330 Calkins Road has been home to many families.  The family that resided here the longest is the family of John Robertson who bought the property in 1869.   

You can see on the 1902 map of Monroe County that John was a successful farmer who owned approximately 165 acres.  His property was called Trout Spring Farm because, according to anecdotes, there was a stream full of trout that ran through the farm.  You can also see that the across the road neighbor was Adelbert Tinker.

The 1880 Federal Census, shows John Robertson age 61 and his wife Rebecca, age 50 and six children living here. The oldest was 22 and the youngest was 12. Two other people living on the farm were laborers, Owen Hines, age 28 and John Robertson’s nephew Thaddeus Skilton, age 20.

The Agricultural Census gives us an idea of what was being grown and produced on the farm.  In 1880 Trout Spring Farm was valued at $16,000. (In today’s money that’s about $547,000.)

Livestock included 7 horses, 4 milch cows (milking), 60 poultry, 39 swine and 2 sheep.  They had purchased 3 sheep but one was killed by dogs.  Products harvested were 20 tons of hay, 450 bushels of barley, 350 bushels of Indian Corn, 500 bushels of oats and 700 bushels of wheat.  They also grew 1200 bushels of Irish potatoes.  Six acres of orchards yielded 200 bushels of apples.  400 pounds of butter were also made on the farm.  You can see farms were much more diversified than they are today.

By 1900, John was a widower living with his youngest son, Willet and two unmarried daughters, Marian and Hannah.  Willet became the head of the household in 1906 when his father died.  When Willet died in 1948, family relatives inherited the property.

As in other areas of Henrietta, the farmland was sold for housing developments.  Fortunately, the federal style farmhouse has been owned and appreciated by families who have worked countless hours and spent substantial sums of money to maintain this property.