Joseph Morse House (Stone House), Eaton Village New York
, Eaton Village New York)
In 1796 Joseph Morse and his wife, Eunice Bigelow Morse, came from Sherburne, Massachusetts, largely by blazed trail, and settled on approximately two hundred acres in what is now Eaton, on the Indian trail that extended from the Susquehanna River at its headwaters in Cooperstown to nearby Stockbridge. A settlement first called Log City grew up here. In 1806 Log City became Eaton and the half-dozen log cabins were called one of the "cities of the new country."
Soon after completion of the house in 1802, a fire house for the estate and a brick office with iron vault for administration were built. A grist and saw mill was built on Eaton Brook, an orchard laid out, and farming, cattle raising, and flax raising with later a woolen mill on the Chenango River, east of the village, were Morse family projects.
The history of Morse House is a landmark in the early history of the village of Eaton, typical of the first settlements in this area. Ellis Morse, oldest son of Joseph, who inherited the house, built and operated a large distillery nearby. He was also one of the earliest public officers of Eaton. Henry B, Morse, a grandson of Joseph, used the Morse brick office to muster in the 114th New York Volunteer regiment for the Civil War.
