Clara
Clara sleeps up to four guests in two queen size beds in the sleeping room that features hardwood floors, picture molding, and a large front window that opens onto a quiet street for those who enjoy night breezes. Two sets of French doors lead out to the large, private, furnished porch. You will also enjoy a charming closet with built ins and a writing desk in the main sleeping room. Your en suite bath features a leaded glass window and more built ins.
Amenities
- En suite bath with shower
- Hair dryer and bath products
- Private porch
- 2 queen size pillow top beds
- Closet for clothing storage
- Writing desk
- Room level control of heating and cooling
- Free WiFi
- (No TV)
Clara Brackett Smith Spear's story
Clara Brackett was the youngest of three children born to William and Elizabeth Sherman Brackett, She enrolled in the first class of the Cornell Conservatory of Music. Upon graduating in 1881 she became a piano teacher at Cornell, a position she held for four years.
Brackett House became her home when she married William M. Smith, co-founder of the Mount Vernon Bank, in 1894. He died in 1899 and Clara remarried in 1912 to her Cornell classmate, Armstrong Spear. As one of the founders of the Republic Trust Co. of Philadelphia, Spear did not want to leave his business interests. Clara didn’t want to leave her home, so Spear became one of the first cross-country commuters.
Clara entertained many notable college guests, and is said to have been the first Mount Vernon woman to appear at the polls after the 19th Amendment was ratified. She died in 1927.