page_title: Aurora Village–Wells College Historic District
section_title: Commercial properties
hierarchical_section_title: Aurora Village–Wells College Historic District / Aurora Village properties / Commercial properties
caption_attribution_description: English: Scipio Lodge #110, Aurora, New York
context_page_description: The historic village of Aurora, Cayuga County, New York, rises on a hill above the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. The village was named by Captain Benjamin Ledyard, who settled there in 1793, in the post-Revolutionary development of the Finger Lakes region. Up until the mid-nineteenth century, Aurora played an important part in the history of Central New York.
  County seat for first Onondaga County and later Cayuga County, the village was also a leading market town in the region. A steam-powered flour mill was built in 1817, the first of its kind west of Albany, contributing to Aurora's importance as a commercial center. Aurora was a major shipping point for goods bound up the Lake and through the Erie Canal, until the canal's role was replaced by railroads in the mid-19th century.
  Its significant business entrepreneurs included men such as Henry Wells, founder of American Express and Wells Fargo, whose operations created new express mail and banking services that spanned New York state and reached to the developing state of California. Having earned capital in shipping and trade, Edwin Barber Morgan invested with Wells and served as a director for Wells Fargo for years.
context_section_description: The vernacular-design Patrick Tavern was built in 1793 and is the oldest building in the village. Built in 1898, the Tudor Revival style Aurora Free Library/Morgan Opera House served until 1996 as the Public Library/Town Hall, as it was originally intended by benefactor Louise Morgan Zabriskie.  The brick, Greek Revival style Aurora Inn was built in 1833.  A complete renovation was completed in 2003. The Shakelton Funeral Home is a large, white, neo-classical wooden structure built in 1903-1904.
  Solomon Myers, a mason, built The Bank of local limestone circa 1840 for use as his home. In 1864 the second owner sold the building to a consortium forming the First National Bank of Aurora. At that time, several physical improvements were made and the Italianate features were added before the bank opened. Edwin Barber Morgan, a leading citizen of Aurora, had the E. B. Morgan House built in 1857-1858. It was designed by New York City architect Joseph C. Wells, who also designed the Presbyterian Church in Aurora. The imposing stone mansion on the shore of Cayuga Lake now operates as a bed and breakfast inn.  Other commercial properties that contribute to the district include: the Shakelton Hardware Store, the Aurora Office Building, Mack's Drug Store, the Aurora Village Hall, the White Elephant Shop, the Aurora IGA, and the Thompson Block.
caption: Scipio Lodge #110
exif: {"Image Make": "EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY", "Image Model": "KODAK Z812 IS ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "480", "Image YResolution": "480", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "506", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "12262", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4261", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/640", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Unidentified", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "69", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2008:05:03 13:52:15", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2008:05:03 13:52:15", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "28/3", "EXIF ApertureValue": "3", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Daylight", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "117/20", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2448", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3264", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "11958", "EXIF ExposureIndex": "69", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "36", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Landscape", "EXIF GainControl": "Low gain up", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Hard", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}