When Richard Hunt moved into his new home in the early 1830s, the change of address corresponded with his changing role in the community. He built a two-story brick federal-style house just east of the village. Travelers on the turnpike first viewed this imposing structure as an introduction to the village and its potential.

The home served as a center for both social and business activities that nurtured the growing Hunt family. It provided a base from which Richard launched his business ventures, gave him credibility as a stable resident of Waterloo, and symbolized his dedication to family and community. The six children from his marriages rooted the family in Waterloo and gave evidence of the family's commitment to the success of the village. They were here to stay.

Hunt earned his wealth through a combination of real estate investments, manufacture, and agriculture. He began buying real estate in 1827. Over the next twenty-five years, he purchased 140 village residential and commercial lots and 990 acres of farmland in Seneca County.

Hunt earned a profit on his village real estate investments by holding vacant land for speculation and improving vacant lots with commercial or residential buildings for rent. Between 1839 and 1856, he built three extensive brick commercial blocks on Main Street in the center of the village. In the first of these blocks, he leased space to Thomas M'Clintock for a drugstore and bookstore. Two dry-good stores occupied the remaining space.

Early in his career, Hunt engaged in the development of manufacturing in the village. With two other local developers, he provided the driving force behind the incorporation of a woolen mill in 1836. The Waterloo Woolen Manufacturing Company at first produced broadcloth. By 1850, the mill made shawls, successfully competing with the high-quality imported shawls much in demand at the time.

Despite his substantial mercantile activities, he considered himself a farmer. His house was not only the center of the family, but of the farm as well. In 1850, he reported that his 450 acres of improved land were worth $17,000, three times the average farm value in the area. In 1856, his estate was valued at $100,000.

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