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Famous People of the Finger Lakes

Chester F. Wickwire (1843-1910)

It's amazing how a person's name can foretell their future, but so it was with Chester Wickwire. The Victorian era during which he lived, is well remembered for its ornate wire plant stands, garden furniture, screens on windows, and other uses of wire that became popular during that time. Wickwire played a major role in the manufacture of that wire, making himself a millionaire in the process. With some of this money he built a 30-room mansion at 37 Tompkins Street in Cortland. That house is now The 1890 House Museum and Center for the Victorian Arts.

Here's an article about the life of Chester Wickwire, the wire king of Cortland. Page 1 Page 2