Look for a large, tan-brick house with a pointed octagon cupola on top and wide eaves with decorative brackets-it’s standing right in front of you, just past the old-fashioned water pump.
Welcome to the William Tanner House Museum, where each brick and every corner has a story itching to be told. Imagine yourself back in the year 1857-horses clip-clopping down dirt roads, wagons rattling under the prairie sun, and in the midst of it all, William A. Tanner, Aurora’s very own trailblazer, is overseeing the finishing touches on this impressive Italianate house. Picture the scent of fresh stone and the sound of hammers echoing across the quiet fields.
William Tanner wasn't just any early settler-he saw the magic in Aurora when it was nothing but open land and potential. After riding in from Watertown, New York, he must’ve had a hopeful spark in his eye as he surveyed this very spot, planning a new life. He worked the land, sent for his family, and set down roots so deep that, rumor has it, the house still sighs with old family secrets! After marrying Anna Makepeace, together they built a life here with ten children-yes, ten! No wonder they needed a house with so many rooms. The parlor bustled with music, laughter, and surely the occasional sibling squabble; the kitchen danced with the aromas of hearty suppers.
As you stand by the walk, look to the octagon cupola up top-imagine one of the Tanner kids sneaking a peek at the town’s horizon, wondering what adventures the future might hold. The echo of their voices still lingers in the hallways.
The Tanners weren’t just about family-they ran a hardware business that became the heartbeat of Aurora, lasting all the way to 1979. But the house itself-this cross-shaped, brick beauty-has survived everything from runaway circuses to icy winters. When the last of the Tanner family moved out in the 1930s, they didn’t just lock the door and toss the key; they gifted it to the Aurora Historical Society. Now, each summer, people walk through these rooms and taste a slice of Victorian life.
If you come by on July 4th, the lawn bursts with picnics and games, while in December, Christmas lights twinkle and the house smells like cinnamon and pine. Soak in the moment-who knows, maybe the Tanner family is peeking out from the past, waving a gentle hello just for you!
