On visiting Geneva and when reaching Rose Hill Farm, you were certain of such a warm and hearty reception, that the latter became one of the attractions of the place, and is not forgotten.
While the Carriage House Visitor Center and East Tenant Cottage are air conditioned, Rose Hill Mansion is not. Due to the summer heat, access to the Mansion may be partially or fully restricted. Call 315-789-3848 for today’s status.
Experience a taste of 19th-century life when you visit Rose Hill Mansion in the beautiful Finger Lakes. Once the center of a busy farm, the house is open seasonally for guided tours. Overlooking Seneca Lake, the 1839 Greek Revival Mansion features 21 furnished rooms. Explore the life and times of the Swan family who lived in the house from 1850 to 1890, and the many workers required to keep the large house and farm in working order.
Tickets can be purchased here or onsite at the Carriage House Visitor Center and Gift Shop.
Exhibits in the Carriage House Visitor Center and Gift Shop highlight information about the site’s history. A restored 1916 Model T that belonged to the Swans’ granddaughter is also on display. The gift shop features souvenirs, history books, jewelry, and home decorative items. For a selection of items, see our online shop.
The East Tenant Cottage contains exhibits and public restrooms.
The grounds are open year-round from dawn to dusk. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
To learn more about Rose Hill Mansion, watch this video:
Tickets can be purchased here or onsite at the Carriage House Visitor Center and Gift Shop.
Rose Hill Mansion is available by guided tour only. Tours last approximately one hour.
Book a group tour at Rose Hill Mansion for a unique experience. Once the center of a busy farm, the house is open seasonally for guided tours. Overlooking Seneca Lake, the 1839 Greek Revival Mansion features 21 furnished rooms. Explore the life and times of the Swan family who lived in the house from 1850 to 1890, and the many workers required to keep the large house and farm in working order.
Filling out this form does not reserve your group tour date.
Group Tour Information:
Touring the house
Behind–the–scenes and preservation tours of the mansion are also offered for 2026. Check our calendar.
Reservations are required for specialty tours. To purchase tickets, or for more information, click here.
Rose Hill stands on the traditional lands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ or “the People of the Great Swamp.” In English, they are known as the Cayuga Nation. They are one of the six Nations that make up the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the world’s oldest continual participatory democracy.
This acknowledgement is one small step in the process of dismantling the unjust legacies of colonialism and honoring Cayuga and Haudenosaunee communities, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations.
For a memorable experience, stay at Rose Hill Cottage. Nestled on the grounds of Rose Hill Mansion and a ten-minute drive from downtown Geneva, Rose Hill Cottage is a three-bedroom, one-bath home. The Cottage is wheelchair accessible and pet friendly. For more information or to make reservations, click below.
General
Parking
For Visitors with Mobility Impairments
Carriage House
East Tenant Cottage
Carpenter Shop
Mansion
For Visitors who are Blind or have Low Vision
For Visitors who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
For visitors with sensory or communication disabilities
If you have additional questions about accessibility or other needs, please contact Historic Geneva at 315-789-5151 or info@historicgeneva.org.
Bathrooms – Accessible restrooms are available in the East Tenant Cottage
Dining – There is no dining facility on site. Ventosa Vineyards, Three Brothers Wineries and Estates, and Byrne Dairy is a short drive from Rose Hill.
First Aid – The site has first aid kits.
Pets – Service animals are welcome inside the Carriage House, East Tenant Cottage, and Rose Hill Mansion. They must remain on a leash or harness. Pets and therapy animals are not allowed in the East Tenant Cottage or Rose Hill Mansion. They are allowed in the Carriage House and on the grounds.
Shopping – Bring something special home for your visits. The Gift Shop features souvenirs, history books, jewelry, and home decorative items. The shop is open during regular business hours.
Strollers and Wheelchairs – The site does not have strollers or wheelchairs available for use.
Tickets – Tickets can be purchased online or onsite at the Carriage House Visitor Center and Gift Shop.
Warm Weather – While the Carriage House Visitor Center and East Tenant Cottage are air conditioned, the Mansion is not. Due to the summer heat, access to the Mansion may be partially or fully restricted. Call 315-789-3848 for today’s status.
Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi is available in the Carriage House.
How old is the house? Who built it? – The house was built in two parts. Completed in 1809, the original house at Rose Hill was a two-story dwelling with an attached kitchen. Between 1837 and 1839, the house was separated from the kitchen. The house was then moved several feet and converted into a carriage house. The Carriage House now serves as our visitor center and gift shop. A Greek Revival mansion was built around the kitchen between 1837 and 1839.
Did enslaved people live at Rose Hill? – Yes. Slavery existed in New York from 1626 through the 1840s. Between 1792 and 1796 and 1803-1827, enslaved people lived and worked on site.
The buildings which were the slave quarters are no longer standing.
Research into the lives of enslaved people at Rose Hill is ongoing. Based on our current knowledge, below is a list of the enslaved people at Rose Hill:
Is Rose Hill a government-owned site? – Rose Hill Mansion is owned and operated by Historic Geneva, a private non-profit corporation, which receives funding from the City and Town of Geneva and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Based on its architecture, the Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Mansion was also designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Did Native Americans live on the Rose Hill property? – Rose Hill Mansion stands on the traditional, unceded lands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ’ or “the People of the Great Swamp.” In English, they are known as the Cayuga Nation. They are one of the six Nations that make up the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the world’s oldest continual participatory democracy.
The Cayuga came to the area around 1000 CE. The soil and water here made it a good home. Towns were established on high ground for defensive reasons. Men used the shallow waters, like around Boody’s Point to the north of Rose Hill, to catch and dry fish in the summer. Women grew corn, squash, and beans. They also gathered wild fruits and planted apple and peach orchards.
In 1779 the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign destroyed numerous Cayuga and other Haudenosaunee villages and burned acres of fields and orchards. The destruction weakened the Haudenosaunee and initially forced them out of the area. This led to European expansion into Western New York. The New York State Legislature set aside land for Revolutionary War veterans in 1782. Known as the Military Tract, the land was surveyed into 28 townships that were divided into one-hundred-acre lots. The property that eventually became Rose Hill included Lots 11 and 17.
Why We Use the Language We Do – American History is complicated. This history is represented by the people who have lived and worked at Rose Hill.
In our exhibits, programs, and online content we strive to use language that more accurately reflects the inherent humanity of people and historical accuracy.
As the use of specific words and our understanding of them evolves, we shift the way we talk about certain topics. Through that evolution, our motivation remains constant: to examine the past and the people who lived through it honestly and with all the integrity we can muster.
Who lived in the Mansion the longest? – Between 1809 and 1965, at least fourteen different families called Rose Hill Home. The Swan family lived on the property for the longest from 1850 to 1890.
How long has the Mansion been a historic house museum? – In 1965, the Swans’ grandson, Waldo Hutchins, Jr. purchased the Mansion and 2.5 acres around it for Historic Geneva. The Mansion was restored and opened to the public in 1968. Between 1968 and 2004, additional outbuildings and parcels of land were purchased with funding from the Hutchins family. This included fifteen acres to the west of the mansion (1968), the Carriage House (1969), Carpenter Shop (1971), former tenant cottages to the north of the Carriage House (1981-1982), and land to the west of the tenant cottages (2004).
What is the East Tenant Cottage used for? The East Tenant Cottage dates to around 1913 and served as a home for farm workers. In 2019, the Cottage was renovated into an exhibit space with public restrooms.
What is Rose Hill Cottage used for? Rose Hill Cottage dates to around 1913 and served as a home for farm workers. The Cottage has been an antiques shop and tasting room for a winery. In 2022, it became a vacation rental.
Rehabilitating Rose Hill’s Landscape
Rose Hill is one site with many stories, and the landscape is one of these stories. Between 2016 and 2019, a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) was done. A CLR looks at the full history of a site and can help guide its management. Of the four treatment types (rehabilitation, preservation, reconstruction, and restoration), rehabilitation was selected as the most appropriate treatment method. Rehabilitating the grounds will allow us to balance current and future uses and needs with the historic character of the site.
Based on the CLR, the Mansion’s grounds have been divided into four distinct areas with an overall goal and actions steps for each one.
Rehabilitating the grounds will be a multi-year project. Over the next couple of years, changes will include recreating the property’s entry, reestablishing the semi-circular driveway and walkways, and creating a formal garden.
Read more about the the landscape projects at Rose Hill –