Samuel Brooks House

Samuel Brooks House is a residential building in Mountainville featuring wooden clapboard walls, a roof with opposing gable sections, and ornate carved trim framing pointed-arch windows with decorative hoods. The main structure rises two and a half stories, with a southern addition that stands one story shorter.

The house was built in 1860 and originally functioned as a farmhouse before being converted into a boardinghouse for visitors from New York City after the Civil War ended. This transformation shows how rural areas adapted when rail travel and tourism began to grow.

The house reflects how prosperous families in Cornwall built their homes during the 1800s, showcasing local craftsmanship styles that shaped the village's character. The architectural choices represent tastes of the era when communities valued distinctive wooden details and varied rooflines.

The property sits at the end of a semicircular driveway on Pleasant Hill Road, north of Mountainville hamlet, making it easy to locate. Two original barns on the grounds give visitors a sense of the working farm that once stood here.

The house was designed with an unusual five-bay layout where the southern side is deliberately set back and built shorter than the main block. This asymmetrical composition was rare for its time and creates a striking visual contrast that draws the eye.