The Paul Jones House
The one-story clapboard cottage is one of Aurora’s oldest homes, shown in its original
location and with its original footprint in a 1795 map of the Village. It was originally
located south of its present location along Aurora’s Main Street, near the building known
as Shakelton’s Hardware Store. It was moved to its current location (326 Main Street,
next to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church) in 1926 to make way for a new home built by Wells
Professor Jean Davis in 1930.

Wells alumna Pauline “Paul” Jones, Class of 1918 purchased the house in 1948, near
the end of her second term as President of the Wells College Alumnae Association.
She divided her time between her Aurora home and her family’s home in Youngstown,
Ohio. She was in town frequently during her time on the College’s Board of Trustees
between 1954 and 1960 and whenever she wished to spend time by Cayuga Lake.
Locals knew when Paul was in town by the American flag she would fly at the house
when she was in residence.

When Paul was killed in a plane crash in New Zealand in March 1965 her will
bequeathed the cottage to Wells College. Initially, the College considered the home as
lodging for faculty. Instead, it became a place for alumnae to stay during College
events or for visits to Aurora. Many alums have fond memories of parties, receptions,
and other gatherings in the House. Some report unexplained happenings in the house
and believe that Paul’s spirit still remains in the little house she loved.

Who Was Paul Jones?
Born January 17, 1896 in Youngstown, Ohio, Pauline “Paul” Jones, Wells College Class
of 1918 was named for her grandfather. On both sides of her family, her relatives were
involved in the emerging steel industry in the latter half of the 19 th century. Her father
Frederick D. Jones worked as a purchasing agent for Youngstown Steel Company.
Paul attended Wells College in the years 1914-1918. This was an interesting time in
American history, as the nation initially watched the events of the Great War in Europe
and hoped to avoid involvement. But when the United States entered the War in 1917,
both the nation and the College threw themselves into supporting the War effort.
Students at Wells knit socks and bandages for soldiers, grew their own vegetables in
Victory Gardens, and raised funds for YMCA canteens and the Red Cross. The
College’s plans for a 50 th anniversary celebration were scaled back to reflect the spirit of
a nation at war. Paul’s own younger brother Frederick, known by his middle name
Henry, served in Europe with the Army during Paul’s time at Wells.
It seems that Paul was always a very enthusiastic supporter of Wells and its Alumnae
Association (now known as WCA) even from her student days. This support continued
throughout her lifetime, and she held many offices in the Alumnae Association, serving

as its President from 1921 to 1930 and again from 1941 to 1948. In between, she
worked as the Association’s paid Secretary from 1932 to 1940 and again in the years
1943 to 1945. She also served as Chair of the Alumnae Fund in 1945 and in 1961 and

The Alumnae Association elected her to the College’s Board of Trustees, and
she served between 1954 and 1960.

With so much time spent on work with Wells and the Alumnae Association, it’s not
surprising that Paul found herself in need of a second home in Aurora. She purchased
the cottage from Wells professor Catherine Pugh in 1948 and divided her time between
Aurora and the family home in Youngstown. But Paul was also an adventurous spirit
and frequently traveled throughout the world. She was on a trip in New Zealand on
March 12, 1965, when the sightseeing plane in which she was a passenger crashed into
the sea, and she was killed. Her will named Wells College as the recipient of her home
in Aurora, along with most of the contents. President Long initially thought to use the
cottage to house faculty, but plans changed to turn the home into a place for alums to
use when in Aurora on College and WCA business. It has been the site of many a
happy event that allowed for sharing old memories and creating new ones.