Fredonia is a village in New York located in the town of Pomfret in the vineyards of the western New York county of Chautauqua. The name Fredonia was once proposed as the name for the United States. The community was settled about 1804. In 1821, William Hart dug the first successful gas well. The village was incorporated in 1829 and the State University of New York was opened in 1826.
In 1885, Charles Webster's publishing firm published "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and Mark Twain made appearances at the Fredonia Opera House, eventually moving his family to the village. Today the city offers a vibrant arts and entertainment environment, downtown shops, eateries and a farmers market from June to October.
Woodbury Vineyards is located in the foothills of the Allegany Mountains on the Lake Erie plain. The Woodbury family's vineyard began in 1910 and opened to the public in 1979. The winery has won prizes such as best northern hemisphere Chardonnay in international competitions.
The tasting rooms are set in an apple orchard and a picnic pavilion is available for guests to use on their visit. You can taste all wines produced by Woodbury for no charge.
In the heart of the Lake Erie grape belt, Barlow's Mill Farms offers personal tours of the farm and surrounding vineyards. The tour gives background on the grape industry in the area as well as some of the indigenous crops like basil, peaches, plums, apples, blueberries and raspberries.
The wildflower garden offers views of local perennials like yarrow, cone flowers, wild columbine, butterfly weed, sundrops and summer phlox. The barn dates back to 1860 and was recently restored with a Barn Restoration and Preservation grant, preparing it for another 150 years of use.
Lana Lewis's The Little House is a Cotswold-style English Tea House located along the Chautauqua wine trail in Fredonia. The tour of the house and grounds takes about 90 minutes and afterward the owner serves her guests tea in the parlor with scones, tarts and sandwiches.
The house was hand built in 1980 and finished in 1983 with timber from the 21-acre property that was finished in a nearby Amish community. The builders traveled to find unique additions to the place. The locks on the front door are from Istanbul, Turkey. The house is open daily year round and tours are by reservation only.
Leverette Barker built the house in 1821, which is today the Barker Historical Museum. The museum includes an archive room, two research libraries, exhibitions and a children's museum. A Dutch-style dollhouse is on display with a miniature depiction of Victorian life.
The Belden gallery hold portraits of early Pomfret settlers and some of their household furnishings. The collection also includes a working spinning wheel, a butter churn made in Fredonia, a washing machine and other early-American objects. Admission is free but the museum asks that you call two weeks in advance to arrange for a guided tour.
