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Joanne O Connor Special to The Citizen Proudly wearing his Civil War uniform, Billy Claxton (1843-1923), the Hermit of Owasco Lake, is pictured above in front of his Koenigâs Point ocean house. Billy was born on Jan. 10, 1843, in Hastings, New York. In 1860, with his mother, Mary Ann, and sister Hannah, he moved from the Lake Ontario area to Mandana. Here they lived with their relative Alexander Hamilton Allen, who with his Revolutionary War tract of land, had built a tavern-inn. That site became todayâs Mandana Inn. Along the west side of Skaneateles Lake, the Claxton family worked harvesting teasel plants in the farm area of what is now Laxtonâs Florist Greenery. The Laxtons were in the teasel farming business for over 100 years until it died out due to the invention of mechanical nappers that could comb wool faster, and at a better price. The old 1840 teasel drying barn was taken down just a year ago. A new and booming industry at the ....