History

built in 1850, welcoming visitors ever since …

Henry Thomas and his new bride, Louisa Tripp, moved to the Thomas Farm in 1866. Their new home was built in the 1850s in the Central New York Greek Revival style and purportedly was the first home in the area with electricity. The Thomases had three children … Charles, Annie and Edith. After their parents passed away and their sister married a local farmer (Charles Lounsberry) Charlie and Edith remained at the Farm together both having never married.

In 1915, Rena Irene Jordan age seventeen, moved into the Thomas Farm to help care for Charlie and Edith. Rena spent nearly 20 years at the Farm becoming a valued member of the family. As a result, following the passing of Charlie and Edith the Farmhouse and an accompanying 120 acres were left to Rena.

In 1935 Rena married Donald Francis Kirk and in 1941 they had a daughter, Edith (Edie). During Edie’s childhood and early adult years, the Thomas Farm was a rental property hosting several families. In 1980, Edie and her husband Glenn Schneider moved back to the Thomas Farm from California with their two children Renee and Kirk. After a full room by room restoration, they opened the Thomas Farm Bed & Breakfast in 1988. After thirty years of welcoming guests to the Farm and many rich memories, Edie and Glenn have turned over care of the Farm to Nancy and Rich Belisle.

Nancy and Rich stayed at the Thomas Farm when their two children went to Cornell years ago. Having grown up in a B&B (Nancy’s childhood home), Nancy dreamed of some day running a B&B. When their daughter Reneé graduated from Cornell in 2009, the Belisles asked Edie and Glenn to call them if and when they were ever ready to sell the Thomas Farm. Through a chance encounter in the Ithaca International airport in November 2017, both couples decided that the timing was right and in November of 2018 Nancy and Rich became the proud owners of the Thomas Farm Bed & Breakfast.