 In 1882, Nehemiah was considered to be of "unsound mind" and, in order to settle his debts, he sold the dwelling, outbuildings, and 125 acres.The property was purchased for $25,000 by the State of New York to become an agricultural experiment station.The villa, then known as Denton Place or Denton House, was converted into the headquarters of what would become the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva, colloquially known as the Geneva Experiment Station.