DeWint House

It was history time last weekend. This 1700 home was headquarters a few times to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The brown part is the 2 room house and the white part is the kitchen. The General and his 20 or so aides and executive officers shared the room on the right which had to be a pretty tight fit!

British John Andre was brought to Washington here after he was caught with treasonous papers from Benedict Arnold. Andre was tried and hanged in the little town.

The American history on the East coast amazes me!

Morning temperature: 69 degrees

Steps: 9036

Clermont

Margaret Beekman Livingston had this home built in 1781 to replace the earlier (1730) home that was burned by the British in 1777. Her son, Robert Livingston, was a member of the 5 person team who wrote the Declaration of Independence. He also swore in George Washington as the first president of the United States.

This is the view of the Hudson River out the front door.

The back of the house.

This is the garden view from the back porch.

We brought a picnic and ate it on the grounds of the mansion while enjoying the view of the Hudson.

New York History

This is the home of Philip and Catharine Van Rensselaer Schuyler built in Albany, NY in 1762. Philip was a general in the Revolutionary War and a US Senator. Philip had another farm in Saratoga, NY and spent a lot of time traveling between farms as well as for his military and political service.

Catharine bore 15 children of whom 8 survived to adulthood.  (I guess Philip was home often enough to participate in the conception of those children.) Catharine probably was quite a good businesswoman because she was left with the care of this home and farm.

Their daughter, married Alexander Hamilton in this house. You remember Alexander Hamilton from your ten dollar bills. He was among other things, first Secretary of the Treasury, and killed by Aaron Burr in a duel.

The tour guide insisted this mustard color is the actual color of this furniture and wall covering. They have copies of the bill of sale in England for the originals of these items and apparently the description was recorded in detail by the sellers and the fabric and wall coverings can still be purchased.

Next we headed across the Hudson River to the Van Rensselaer home, Crailo, in Rensselaer, NY. The front part of this home was built around 1663. It was home to Catharine Van Rensselaer from her birth in 1734 until she married Philip Schuyler.

This museum is not decorated as the original home but has many exhibits about the history of the area in the early years of the Dutch colony.

Between the history lessons of yesterday and today my head is spinning. A lot changes in a few years! For instance, /Fort Nassau (1614) which flooded out and then Fort Orange(1624) were Dutch trading posts built near each other in New York. A town, Beverwijck, grew up outside the forts. (The name means beaver district and beaver pelts were the main item traded.) By 1664, the British renamed the town, Albany.

August Daycation #2

It was time for another August Saturday daycation road trip.

Destination: Historic Huguenot Street.

This location has original stone houses built in the 1600 - 1700's. Only a few are open but they are gems. Although all were built near the same time...one is furnished as a 1600's home, another as a home from 1755 and one (that had a later addition) was set in 1908. The final home was empty inside but showed some of the bare bones of the old house. Most were still lived in as late as the 1970's.

The Abraham Hasbrouck House

The Bevier House

Okay...so now I'm checking out cemeteries everywhere!

Tree eating a tombstone in New Paltz

And a second cemetery in Hurley

 And there was wildlife...a bunny, a muskrat-type of animal, 3 deer...and a bear!

 

 

A quick shot through the dirty windshield!