Hudson Valley Architecture

Cornelius Person House // c.1770

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The Cornelius Person House is a pre-Revolution stone dwelling built in the Katsbaan village of Saugerties, New York. The residence was constructed around 1770 by Cornelius Person (1744-1827) a merchant who held a store just south of this home. The store was apparently used as a meeting place for Patriots during the Revolutionary War and Cornelius fought in the local militia at the time. After the war, John Jacob Astor was said to have traded with local fur trappers at the store. The Person Stone House was originally a smaller dwelling and was expanded multiple times to give it the center hall appearance and later saltbox rear. Later alterations include the porches, but the house retains so much of its original charm.

Katsbaan Reformed Church // 1732

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The first church on this site in Katsbaan, Saugerties, New York, was a 1732 simple stone church built by Dutch and German settlers. Church services were first held in the German language,  and gradually came to be also held in Dutch and English, as the village and surrounding area developed. The original church was rebuilt in 1816 using the same stone base, but the entrance was shifted away from the street. Larger windows and the steeple were added at this time. In 1867, the steeple was heightened and the windows were enlarged with Gothic points, giving the building its present appearance. The Katsbaan Reformed Church remains an architectural and historical landmark noting the early history of Ulster County and its growth.

St. Mary’s of the Snow Catholic Church // 1833

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In 1830 Rev. Philip O’Reilly was sent by Bishop John Dubois to establish missions and build churches along the Hudson River wherever there were sufficient resident Catholics. O’Reilly visited the village of Saugerties, in Ulster County in 1832 and began holding services in private homes. The area was home to many Irish residents working in industry, a large number of which were Catholics, and as a result, the village here became the location of the first Catholic church in the county. Father O’Reilly founded St. Mary’s in 1833 creating the first parish of the Hudson, spanning New York City to Albany, with the cornerstone of the new church laid that same year; though, the church would be dedicated a decade later. The church cemetery grew from the first graves around the church in 1833 to fill much of the church property now occupied setting the Gothic edifice in a sea of gravestones. The church grew and eventually the steeple was added in the 1860s. It is also said that the church basement was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The church (like many in the United States) has struggled to maintain its large campus, which originally contained the church, a school, and convent, but the church remains in good condition, shining like a beacon on a hill on the Hudson.

DuBois-Kierstede Stone House // 1727

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Ulster County, New York, is known for its many stone houses, largely built in the 18th and 19th centuries by Dutch and other European settlers to the region. This stone house in Saugerties was built beginning in 1727 by Hiskia DuBois (Du Boys), who established a 40-acre farm here. The original homestead was the one-and-a-half-story east wing of the present structure and occupied by Hiskia until his death in 1757, afterwhich, the property was inherited by his son David, who would sell the farmstead to Dr. Christoffel “Christopher” Kiersted (1736-1791), the first doctor to take up a residence in present-day Saugerties. After Dr. Kiersted died in 1791, the property was expanded and enlarged to its current composition, likely by his son, John Kiersted. Under the ownership of John, a grove of Black Locust trees were planted in the front yard setting the cottage in a small forest. The DuBois-Kierstede Stone House is currently the home of the Saugerties Historical Society, which operates the structure as the Kiersted House Museum, along with a preserved Dutch Barn on the site.

Whitaker Block // c.1870

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One of the finest commercial buildings in downtown Saugerties, New York, is the Whitaker Block, a landmark Second Empire style structure from the years following the American Civil War. The structure dates to around 1870 and was first owned by an E. Whitaker and was mixed use with retail at the street and offices above. Additionally, the building was home to the local chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) a fraternal social organization. The three-story with mansard roof building stands out for its architectural details and integrity which largely remain intact to this day.

Former Sheffield Mill // 1887

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The former Sheffield Mill is historically and architecturally significant as one of the last remaining large-scale manufacturing complex to survive in the village of Saugerties, New York. The building was constructed in 1887 as the J. B. Sheffield Paper Company and was used for the manufacturing of envelopes and bank bookbinding. In the 1930s, the building was purchased by the Knaust Brothers, who grew and harvested mushrooms in nearby towns, making mushroom beds or trays in this building. The Knaust Brothers were at one time, one of the largest firms growing and canning mushrooms in the world. The former mill was vacant by the late 20th century and its future was uncertain until it was renovated at the turn of the present century into senior housing. What a great rebirth of a great old mill!

Esser Cottage // 1894

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Hermann Esser (1845-1908) was born in Elbertfeld Germany and emigrated to the U.S. in the fall of 1866 and settling in Hoboken, NJ. On September 30, 1869, he married Bertha Michelmann of Hanover, Germany, who also emigrated to the U.S. years prior. In the states, Essen joined his old business partner Wilhelm J.D. Keuffel (also a German) and they ran the Keuffel & Esser Company, a scientific instrument manufacturing firm originally founded in New York City in 1867. Best known for its popularization of the slide rule, Keuffel & Esser was the first American company to specialize in the manufacture and sale of drafting and surveying tools. By the early twentieth century, it was one of the largest manufacturers of scientific instruments in the world. Their original store was located at 127 Fulton Street in Manhattan. Esser, with his wealth, decided to build a cottage in summer colony of Elka Park, New York, just north of Manhattan. The enclave was founded and has long been inhabited by wealthy German residents from New York City. This cottage was built for Mr. Esser in 1894, and is decidedly more Colonial Revival than many other cottages here. Esser only enjoyed a few summers here as he moved back to Germany in 1902, and died in 1908.

Roosa-Van Deusen House // 1744

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For my last building feature in New York in this series, I feature the Roosa-Van Deusen House on Hurley’s Main Street village of old stone homes. This house dates to 1744 and was built upon land owned by Jan Alderts Roosa, who emigrated to New Netherland (New York) with his family on the Spotted Cow in 1660, when he was 14 years old. The house was likely built by Jan Van Deusen (Jan Roosa’s grandson), a blacksmith who worked in town. The Van Deusen House famously became the capital building of New York when in 1777, the newly formed New York state government moved here for two months while Kingston was being rebuilt after the British Army had burned it in retaliation for the creation of the state. It is thus the second of the state’s three capital cities, the present, Albany, being the third.

Elmendorf House // c.1780

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Built circa 1780, this old stone house is fairly new compared to some of its neighbors (it was built after the Revolution). The land upon which the house sits was originally owned by Anthony de Hooges and his wife Eva. It was purchased by Conrad Elmendorf, who likely built the home after the War. and handed down to his great-grandson Col. Jonathan Elmendorf who served in the War of 1812. The property is now home to the Hurley Historical Society, which host an Old Stone House Tour every year.

Van Etten-Dumond “Spy” House // c.1726

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One of my favorite houses in Hurley is the Dumond House (also known as the “Spy House”), a pre-Revolutionary stone cottage built in Dutch traditions. The house is one and one-half stories high, and is built of limestone. The limestone walls are of various thickness, from a nearby quarry, with the square ends laid up in mortar made of clay, and pointed with lime mortar outside. The house was built by Jacobus Van Etten (1696-1779) and used as a Guard House during the American Revolution. In 1777, it was famous for housing the convicted British spy, Lt. Daniel Taylor after he was caught carrying a message between British Generals Henry Clinton and John Burgoyne. Lt. Taylor was arrested as a British spy, convicted in court of spying and held in the basement of the Du Mond House as a prisoner. He was hung on October 18, 1777 from a nearby tree. American soldiers encamped in the area were paraded by the body as a warning to any potential British sympathizers. The home was later owned by the Dumond Family. It has been owned by the Kent family since 1933.