Wright Reis Homestead

Behind some trees, hidden from view on Primrose Street sits the Wright Reis Homestead of Somers, New York. This historic house primarily goes unnoticed to locals, despite being sandwiched between the local police department and town park. The site, built around 1845, would be the home to one of the most influential figures in recreation for the town of Somers. Without the work of Caroline Wright Reis, the recreational aspect of Somers would not have evolved into its current state. The homestead itself has been upkept over the years and serves as an educational resource for the town’s history. Tours of the Wright Reis Homestead are currently not open to the public, but can be scheduled through the Somers Historical Society.

The land that the Wright Reis Homestead currently sits on was purchased by Daniel Wright in 1762. The historic house that has been preserved to this day was originally built around 1845, by a prominent Somers merchant named William Marshall who bought the land a decade prior [1]. Besides the house, the land was used to farm for many decades. Eventually in 1869, Samuel Purdy Wright bought the homestead and was the great grandson of Daniel Wright, the original owner of the property [2]. Samuel Purdy Wright was married to Madeline Dennett Wright, and the two had a daughter in 1880. Caroline Wright would later transform the homestead into what the public can see today.

By 1892, both Samuel and Madeline had passed away, leaving Caroline to live with her uncle William Wright instead. They were located outside of Somers, and Caroline later attended school in New Jersey. Unlike most women at the time, Caroline attended college at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY to study design [3]. She graduated with her degree in 1902 and married Walter Reis in 1908, thus becoming Caroline Wright Reis. The couple moved back to Caroline’s childhood home in Somers in 1913. While Caroline was away, the farmland had been rented so the property had been maintained in that time.

Caroline and Walter lived and worked on the property until both of their deaths. Since Walter was a traveling salesman, Caroline took responsibility for most of the farm work. The homestead under the Wright Reis’ included a dairy barn, carriage house, horse barn, ice house, corn and poultry storage, spring house, privy, and garden. A summer kitchen was also built directly next to the house itself. Not only did Caroline run the farm but she collected historic artifacts and participated in Somers politics [2]. She was well known in town for her role in community activities and was also a member of the Katonah Women's Civic Club, which advocated for women's suffrage before the passing of the 19th Amendment [4]. Caroline and Walter never had children, so when Caroline passed away in 1967, she left the homestead to the Town of Somers in her will. The entirety of the property was donated to be used for educational and recreational purposes for the townspeople [3]. The homestead was named after Caroline to honor her work for the town and her philanthropy.

Today, the homestead is still preserved by the Town of Somers and Somers Historical Society. As of 2020, tours of the historic house must be scheduled by appointment with the Somers Historical Society. The farmland has since turned into Reis Park, the main center for recreation in Somers. The property contains Mt. Zion Church, the Somers Public Library, the Somers Parks and Recreation Department, baseball fields, tennis courts, playground, pavilion, stage, and nature trails. The park hosts many town events from picnics to concerts to local sporting events. Reis Park is a center for social gatherings and activities for the people of Somers, and would not be what it is today without the work of Caroline Wright Reis.

[1] Town of Somers History: Historic Properties, Somers Historical Society. Accessed December 18th 2021. http://www.somershistoricalsoc.org/historicproperties.html.

[2] The Wright Reis Homestead, Town of Somers. Accessed December 18th 2021. https://www.somersny.com/resources/the-wright-reis-homestead.

[3] Somers Wright Reis Collection, New York Heritage Digital Collections. Accessed December 18th 2021. https://nyheritage.org/collections/somers-wright-reis-collection.

[4] Panzarino, Erika and Grace Zimmerman. Celebrating Caroline Wright Reis, TAPinto.com. April 6th 2017. Accessed December 18th 2021. https://www.tapinto.net/towns/somers/sections/community/articles/celebrating-caroline-wright-reis.