SLATER ANNOUNCES $50,000 STATE GRANT TO PRESERVE SOMERS’ HISTORIC WRIGHT-REIS HOMESTEAD
- kyra840
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown) is proud to announce that the Town of Somers has been awarded $50,000 through the 2024 Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program to refurbish and preserve the Wright-Reis Homestead, one of the town’s valued landmarks.
“The Wright-Reis Homestead is a reminder of our town’s agricultural and cultural foundation,” said Slater. “Investing in this site preserves the legacy of those who shaped our community and ensures future generations can continue to learn from it. Restoring and maintaining the property is important so it can continue serving as an educational and cultural resource for our residents and visitors.”
“I want to thank Assemblyman Matt Slater for his partnership and for securing this funding for our community,” said Town Supervisor Rob Scorrano. “The Wright Reis Homestead is an important part of Somers’ story. It reflects our roots and the generations who helped build this town. This grant will help us preserve that history so it can be appreciated for years to come. Our community takes great pride in its past, and this is a great example of what happens when local and state leaders work together to protect it.”
About the Wright-Reis Homestead:
Located on Route 139 (Primrose Street) just north of Reis Park, the Wright-Reis Homestead is a distinguished Greek Revival home built around 1845 by William Marshall, a prominent Somers merchant. The property was later purchased by Samuel Purdy Wright in 1869, whose ancestors settled along Primrose Street before the Revolutionary War.
Samuel and his wife, Madeline Dennett Wright’s daughter, Caroline Wright Reis, inherited the home and went on to play an active role in Somers’ civic life. Upon her passing, Caroline bequeathed her home and 82 acres of land—part of which became Reis Park—to the Town of Somers in 1967, with the stipulation that the property be used for educational and recreational purposes.
Today, the Wright-Reis Homestead operates as a historic house museum open to the public by appointment, preserving the town’s heritage and Caroline’s legacy.