Old Chappaqua Historic District (Tour) - Clio

Entries on This Tour

1. The Friends Meeting House

Constructed in 1753, the Friends Meeting House of Chappaqua served as a center for worship and business meetings for both men and women, uncommon during a time where gender inequality was the norm. The building is the oldest standing Quaker house located in Westchester County, and resembles a simple farmhouse. The significance of the meeting house stems from the members who met within its walls, and the actions they carried out. The Quakers of Chappaqua were some of the first people to take a stand against slavery in New York.

2. Samuel Allen House (Old Chappaqua Historic District)

The Samuel Allen House is located in the Old Chappaqua Historic District in the Town of North Castle in Westchester County, New York. The area was originally settled by Quakers in the 1730s. The Samuel Allen farm, which included a tenant house, currying shop, and barn, was part of land previously owned by early settler Thomas Underhill, dating back to 1776. The house is across the street from the 1753 Quaker Meeting House and was built by Allen around 1830. The residence is a solid representation of the old Eyebrow Style of architecture, meaning that it contains a row of narrow windows mounted above the full-size windows on the floor below. The houses in the Old Chappaqua Historic District owe much of their survival to the fact that development of the hamlet grew around the railroad which arrived in 1846, leaving this section of Quaker Road more rural. The Old Chappaqua Historic District, including the Samuel Allen House, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

3. Thorn-Dodge House (Old Chappaqua Historic District)

The Thorn-Dodge House is located on scenic Quaker Road in the Old Chappaqua Historic District in the town of New Castle in Westchester County, New York. It was built ca.1765 and was the residence of Elnathan Thorn, an early Chappaqua settler, whose name and property appear on an American Revolution-era map made for George Washington. The house was purchased by Henry and Rebecca Dodge in 1848. The Dodge family was responsible for moving the original Thorn house farther away from the road, and enlarging it to its current size. The Thorn-Dodge House remains a well maintained eighteenth century private dwelling. The Old Chappaqua Historic District, including the Thorn-Dodge House, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

4. Reynolds-Carpenter House (Old Chappaqua Historic District)

The Reynolds-Carpenter House is located on scenic Quaker Road in the Old Chappaqua Historic District in the town of New Castle in Westchester County, New York. Tradition attributes the building of the house to John Reynolds, Sr. in 1740. Reynolds settled in Chappaqua that same year and was a large landowner, who donated two acres for the construction of the Friends Meeting House, also located on Quaker Road. A grandson of John Reynolds inherited the Reynolds-Carpenter House and in 1846 sold the house to Robert Carpenter, who added the rear wing in 1850. The Reynolds-Carpenter House remains a well maintained eighteenth century private dwelling. The Old Chappaqua Historic District, including the Reynolds-Carpenter House, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

5. Stony Hollow Farm (Old Chappaqua Historic District)

Stony Hollow Farm is a private residence located in the Old Chappaqua Historic District in the town of New Castle in Westchester County, New York. The earliest historical references to the property can be found in New Castle town records from 1823 that mention the property, then written as “Stony Holler,” as belonging to Jesse Brady. It is estimated that the oldest portions of the Stony Hollow Farm house also date to 1823, although the first surviving deed for the property is from 1835. Over the many decades since its original construction, the home has been enlarged and currently includes a number of additions, the most recent dating to the 1900s. The Stony Hollow Farm house continues to exhibit a solid 19th-Century Federal architectural style. It stands as a reminder of Chappaqua’s early days as a primarily Quaker settlement. The Old Chappaqua Historic District, including the Stony Hollow Farm, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Old Chappaqua Historic District

Created by Westchester County Historical Society on January 10th 2023, 5:28:57 pm.

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Description

The Old Chappaqua Historic District is a corridor along scenic Quaker Road in the hamlet of Chappaqua that is home to twelve historic structures dating to the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Included in the district are architecturally significant private residences, along with the 1753 Friends Meeting House, which served as the hub of the local Quaker community for generations, and Friends still continue to gather here. Early residents referred to this area as “Shapequaw,” and it is known today as “Chappaqua.” Homes, and the meeting house were constructed in the architectural styles typical of a rural agricultural settlement of the time period. When the railroad arrived in Chappaqua and New Castle in 1846, the tracks and depot were located to the east of the community where new development would occur, leaving the Old Chappaqua Historic District in many ways undisturbed. Although some of the structures have seen modifications over the years, they continue to exhibit many elements of their original design, providing a glimpse into life in this area two hundred years ago. The Old Chappaqua Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

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