Bush-Lyon House

The Bush-Lyon home was believed to have been built by John Lyon II. Lyon, who was born in 1693, had a large amount of farm land that included the area that is now Lyon Park. There is strong evidence that the Bush-Lyon homestead was built before John Lyon II’s daughter, Ruth Lyon married Abraham Bush in 1749. Theyd made the Bush-Lyon house their residence.

Abraham Bush and Ruth Lyon had two sons, Abraham and Gilbert. Their first son, who was known as Captain Abraham, grew up to be a mariner. Captain Abraham resided at the homestead during the Revolutionary War. Historians believe that the home may have been occupied by one or more of John Lyon II’s sons.

In the 1720s when the home was first built the main building consisted of a one and one-half story, five-bay-wide, by two-bay-deep residence with a center stone chimney. The house had two large fireplaces with the one on the east side having a bake oven.

Not too long before 1800 a kitchen wing was added to the east of the earlier sections of the home. The space with the wall chimney contained a large fireplace with a second bake oven. Small windows were inserted below the porch roof line. A one-story wing, with two-foot-thick walls and a gable roof, were also added during this renovation.

When the Revolutionary War was being fought the Bush-Lyon home was known for its association with a war hero named Israel Putnam. Putnam was one of George Washington’s most reliable generals, and a seasoned veteran of the French and Indian War. He served the American cause from the Battle of Bunker Hill until he had a stroke, and retired from active service. Israel Putnam was a friend of the Bush family and had sometimes used their house as his headquarters. Putnam County was named in his honor.

The home remained in the Bush family until 1925, when it was purchased by the Village of Port Chester. In 1928, members of the Lyon family donated the land around the home to form Lyon Park. Today The Port Chester Historical Society operates the land as a public museum. The Bush-Lyon Home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its early architecture and ties to Revolutionary War hero Israel Putnam.

1. Williams, Gray. Jackson, Kenneth T.. Picturing Our Past National Register Sites in Westchester County.
2. Bush-Lyon Homestead. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form.
3. Bush Lyon Homestead, Bush Lyon Homestead/ home. Accessed August 25th 2020. https://sites.google.com/view/bush-lyon-homestead/home.