The Balloon Farm, originally called the Gates Manshion, is a historic home located at Frankfort in

Herkimer County, New York Herkimer County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer (village), New York, Herkimer. The co ...

. It includes the Gates-Myers Residence, built in 1878. It is an imposing, nearly square, three-story eclectic

Late Victorian Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

dwelling built of dimension lumber above a cut-stone foundation. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying photographs''
/ref> The house was built in Fred Gates, the owner of a

match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

company. He sold it in 1889 to Carl Edgar Myers (1842–1925), an aeronautical engineer. Myers converted the house and the nearby lands into an aeronautical institution known as "Balloon Farm." His wife Mary, known as " Carlotta, the Lady Aeronaut", made many ascents in balloons in aid of his experiments. She is noted by a historical marker near the property. The property was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1998.

Gallery

Image:Balloon Farm Marker Sep 2009.jpg, Marker for Mary Myers, who made many ascents from the Balloon Farm; Marker, September 2009

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Victorian architecture in New York (state) Houses completed in 1878 Houses in Herkimer County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Herkimer County, New York {{HerkimerCountyNY-NRHP-stub