20 Main Street

William Brodie was born in Scotland in 1841 and brought to Rochester by his family as a child.

He moved to Geneseo to be the bookkeeper for William Wadsworth and eventually became an agent and lawyer for several of the Wadsworth families. He and his first wife built the house at 20 Main Street for a total of $4,000.

William was active in local public affairs. He was elected County treasurer for five consecutive terms and served as President of the Gas Company and the Electric Company in Geneseo. Brodie was a Mason and, on August 5, 1884, as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Masons of the State of New York, he laid the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty.

Mr. Brodie was part of a group known as “The Triumvirate” along with Colonel Rorbach and Craig Wadsworth. They were strong advocates for the Normal School and were selected to travel to Albany to plead the case for Geneseo.

Once the school was secured, William was appointed to the local Board, where he served for decades, even serving as Secretary and President.

He served as an elder and a Sunday school teacher in the Presbyterian church. His duties included teaching a Bible Study class to over one hundred Normal School students .

William passed away in 1917.