Carol Fisher-Linn
Emily Theresa brings generations of family dreams to reality in West Valley, NY and you are invited to be a part of the magic.
Here’s your chance for a living history lesson … wander around the acres of Lucky Day Homestead on Roszyk Hill in West Valley (so named for all the four-leaf clovers easily found there), listen to the stories told by Emily Theresa Tingue and one can be transported to another time. At 43, this young woman only knows how to move forward, inviting us to come with her, back into another time. The time when her great-grandfather, Charles Gerwitz came home from serving in The Great War, in 1920, a year before the four-year war ended, and bought the 150 acre homestead on Roszyk Hill Road from a land company. Working with buildings that were first built in 1847 (pre-Civil War), he immediately built on to both the home and the barn. He and his wife worked and raised ten children off that land. All the boys then served in the military except for Charles II, Emily’s grandfather, who married Agnes and kept the farm going during WWII years. Agnes, at 93 continues to live uphill from the original farm, staying close to family.
Fast forward to the 1980’s and on when young Emily and her newly divorced mom and family spent much time on that family property. “My grandparents were really my second set of parents,” says Emily. “I grew up being part of that farming family … caring for animals, collecting eggs, learning about planting and harvesting crops, running free through the fields and creek, collecting flowers, frogs and crayfish, learning about baking from aunts, mom and grandma, learning about woodworking from grampa” – basically she learned old-world skills about living off the land first-hand, on this pre-Civil War farm.
The child grew up. Her proximity to Ellicottville landed her jobs in various establishments in the late nineties. Eventually, as a single mom she continued working in Ellicottville but disliked the fact that she had to be away from her children. She had to find a better way to be able to be more hands’ on and present.
Harking back to her historic roots (four generations) as the eldest daughter of the eldest daughter of dairy farmers, she boldly took a plunge back into her family roots. Fifteen years ago, Emily bought the family property from her uncle. A lot of juggling went on but eventually, she hit her stride and was able to quit outside employment to begin working for herself and her family – on the family farm.
The property is a wonder to behold. Not because it boasts pricey, ornate buildings, but because it has an aura – a feeling of how special that land, the restored buildings, and the history are. She had help. She hired her favorite uncle, Roger Tingue, to brainstorm (sometimes sketching hurriedly on a napkin before an idea or architectural concept evaporated). An avid learner, she was able to quickly master any tools she did not already know how to handle and together they began restoring the buildings. The house has so many interesting, natural details, but the barn remains the major project. It stands as a big income source where she can host weddings, reunions and seasonal events that are open to the public by reservation. History is preserved. Much of the exterior wood was brought inside for use for trim and walls of the restroom and office space. Anything that could be reused was put back into the barn.
Another vision was a Farm to Table restaurant in her hometown which made perfect sense until Covid hit and she couldn’t keep it staffed. Undeterred she continued focusing on The Homestead, including an Airbnb, with plans for three more cottages along the tree line in the next three years. A look at her Facebook page and the seemingly continual activity she creates makes one wonder how this living dynamo is not frenzied and stressed. To the contrary, she was able to create the perfect balance for herself and her children by being self-sufficient. She is super organized (she prioritizes!), and truly has times for morning walks with a steaming cuppa and her dog, hunting, giving vent to her artistic side (which, true to character, is multi-faceted), teaching diverse classes on bread baking, harvesting and using wild herbs, etc., refining the bucolic atmosphere surrounding The Homestead, and drinking in the beauty of life, one sunset, one trophy buck, one chock full larder of canned produce, one delighted visitor at a time.
This short article does not do justice to the Homestead or the woman who runs it. Plan to visit and buy a pie or artisan cheese or meat, etc., in her cozy shop next to the house. 716-353-0193. Tell her Carol sent you.