Van Wyck Homestead

Infobox_nrhp | name = Van Wyck Homestead
nrhp_type =


caption = Van Wyck Homestead house
location = Fishkill, New York
nearest_city = Beacon, New York
lat_degrees = 41
lat_minutes = 31
lat_seconds = 22
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 73
long_minutes = 53
long_seconds = 20
long_direction = W
built = 1732
added = 1972
governing_body = Fishkill Historical SocietyThe Van Wyck Homestead or Van Wyck-Wharton House is an early 18th-century Dutch colonial house in the Town of Fishkill, New York, United States of America. It served as a headquarters to a major supply depot during the American Revolutionary War and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since April 13 1972.

History

In 1732, Cornelius Van Wyck (1694-1761), a surveyor, built a house with three rooms on 959 acres (approximately 3.88 km²) of land he had purchased from Catheryna Rombout Brett, the daughter of Francis Rombout, who was one of the grantees of the original patent to the land in the area issues by King James II of England. Later (before the year 1757) the house was extended and the original structure became the east wing of the enlarged house. Since then, the building has remained a Dutch colonial construction featuring a characteristic central hall with two identical doors. During the American Revolutionary War, the property was the home of Isaac Van Wyck. However, because of its strategic location with regard to the Hudson River and major roads, the Old Albany Post Road (later US 9) running north-south and the road running east-west (later NY 52 and Interstate 84), it was requisitioned by the Continental Army. The building became the headquarters of the Fishkill Supply Depot, which was created on the orders of George Washington in 1775. The depot was a military camp and storage yard which became the main provider of artillery and food for about 4,000 troops stationed in the area to prevent the British forces from passing New York City and capturing the Hudson Valley (the latter a major strategic goal of the British at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War). 70 acres (28 ha) of land surrounding the house were used for a large encampment of over 2,000 soldiers and many facilities such as an artillery park for repairing cannons, a blacksmith shop, barracks, a storehouse, and stables were set up. Most of the area of the Fishkill Supply Depot was developed for the Dutchess Mall, which opened in 1974.

During the construction of the mall and archaeological excavations on the site many artifacts, such as cannon balls, muskets, utensils, and uniform buttons have been unearthed and the Fishkill Historical Society holds about 10,000 pieces. It is also believed, that many soldiers of the Continental Army who died in battle or from smallpox are buried in the area, but the location of the burials remains unknown. The Van Wyck homestead is the last remaining structure of the supply depot. The building served as headquarters to General Israel Putnam and was visited by revolutionary leaders such as George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Alexander McDougall, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. Inside the house, court-martials were held in the home's parlor.

A walnut tree, which stood in front of the house until 1898 when it was toppled by a storm, served as a whipping tree for punishing soldiers. An iron claw which was attached to the tree for this purpose was recovered from the tree and is now on display in the house. The mock trial of Enoch Crosby, who had infiltrated a loyalist group and is considered as the first secret agent of the United States, was held in the building. The house is therefore the likely setting for James Fenimore Cooper's novel, "The Spy" which is based on Enoch Crosby's story. The Van Wyck house also served as the Quartermaster Department in charge of clothing the troops. In addition to its military functions, it also housed the printing press for the newspaper "New York Packet", which was relocated to the Van Wyck homestead from British-occupied New York City. Besides the newspaper, orders for the Army were also printed and the newspaper's publisher, Samuel Loudon, was appointed Postmaster for the State of New York with Fishkill becoming the official New York State Post Office.

After the Revolutionary war, the house was given back to the Van Wyck family and remained the family's home until the suicide of Sidney Van Wyck in 1882. Following the death of Sidney Van Wyck, two more families, the Hustis and the Snook families, owned the property. For a time, a tea room was operated in the house and was frequented by Eleanor Roosevelt when she was on her way to her estate in Hyde Park, New York. With the construction of interstate highway 84 and its exit ramps in the immediate vicinity of the homestead, the Snook family donated the house and a single acre (approximately 4046 square meters) of surrounding land to the Fishkill Historical Society, which was founded in 1962 to preserve the house from demolition and has since continued to restore and to operate it as a museum.

Location

The Van Wyck Homestead is located south of the interchange between of US 9 and Interstate 84 (exit 13), its street address is 504 Route 9, Fishkill 12524, New York, USA.

ee also

*List of Registered Historic Places in Dutchess County, New York
*Intelligence operations in the American Revolutionary War
*Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site
*Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben's Headquarters

References and external links

* [http://www.fishkillridge.org/history/vanwyck.htm Van Wyck Homestead Museum - Fishkill Ridge Caretakers]
* [http://cityguide.pojonews.com/fe/Heritage/stories/he_vanwyck_homestead.asp online article by the Poughkeepsie Journal]
* [http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/index.cfm?section_id=6&page_id=269 online article from www.hudsonrivervalley.com]
* [http://www.spackenkillschools.org/nassau/hhv2/vwh.html student essay]
* [http://www.fishkillridgecommunityheritage.org/archives/Vest%20Pocket%20Tours/van_wyck_homestead.htm "vest pocket tour" of the homestead]
*"Defending What's Left of a Revolutionary Site" by Fernanda Santos, New York Times (Late Edition - East Coast), New York, N.Y., June 18, 2006, page 14NJ.6