Institution

Stephen DeLancey was born the grandson of the famous Huguenot immigrant Etienne (Stephen) De Lancey and Ann Van Cortlandt, who was one of the heirs to Cortlandt Manor. (2) Because of this Stephen grew up with his family owning most of northeast Westchester with a great amount of Salem as well.In 1770, Stephen DeLancey decided to compete with other rich families like the Philipses and Van Cortlandts. In order to do so DeLancey built a manor house that had the, "characteristics of structures further to the south, constructed of wood, two stories and an attic with a hipped roof and a square belfry extending to a capped point." (1)DeLancey moved in his house in 1773 when it was mostly finished. However, being that DeLancey and his family were loyal to the British crown the war for independence and tensions persuaded him to leave his home and move to New York City. When DeLancey left his residence the Stephen DeLancey House would no longer be a private residence again. (1)In 1787 De Lancey's home turned into Salem Academy, which would be formally chartered by New York State three years later. Famous people to graduate from Salem Academy include DeWitt Clinton and Daniel D. Thompson (1).By 1884 Salem Academy declined so much that its trustees petitioned the state legislature to get rid of the academy. The Legislature agreed to the idea and North Salem became a town hall and is one to this day. North Salem Town Hall, which was transferred in 1886 is the oldest town hall in Westchester County (1).

Facts about Stephen Delancey's French born grandfather (history during the Revolutionary War)

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North Salem Town House, also known as Stephen De Lancey House is located at Route 116, North Salem, New York. Stephen DeLancey was born the grandson of a wealthy Huguenot immigrant named Etienne (or Stephen) DeLancey and an heir to Cortland Manor named Ann Van Cortlandt. In 1770 Stephen De Lancey decided to build the manor that would measure up to the Philipses and Van Cortlandts. The land became famous in Westchester because of the family name and their influence during the time of the Revolutionary War in colonial New York.

North Salem Town House (Stephen De Lancey House)

A tour of landmarks built during the Colonial Era of Westchester County

In 1664, ten families from Connecticut were granted the right to settle in on a portion of land given to Thomas Pell, near present-day Eastchester Creek. The following year the small community agreed there should be a place of worship erected in their town.  The residents were Dissenters, Puritans who did not agree with the teachings of the Church of England. A small meeting house was completed by 1696, located about 200 feet east of the present church. A minister, Mr. Nathaniel Brewster, was hired to preach every other week. The British legally established the Anglican Church in 1702 in Westchester County, and the congregation was forced to affiliated with the Church of England. Construction on a new house of worship began in 1763, and lasted through 1788. The design of the church was inspired by London churches of the period. The building was constructed from local stone and brick. The project was funded by regular tax revenues, but resources were scarce and construction was halted during the American Revolution.During the war the church was used as a hospital by the Hessian allies of the British. In an effort to keep the church from being completely destroyed in the war, the bronze bell, given to the parish by the Reverend Thomas Stanton in 1758, was buried at the order of George Washington. The Election of 1733 took place on the Village Green adjacent to the meeting house, (where the current church would later be sited) on October 29, 1733, for an open seat in the New York Assembly. During this election, Quakers, whose religion forbade them from swearing a sacred oath, were prevented from voting; the government refused them the ability to simply affirm that they were landowners. This election played an intricate part in the trial of John Peter Zenger. Zenger was responsible for printing the New York Weekly Journal, a newspaper that was critical of colonial Governor William Cosby. His trial served as the basis of the Bill of Rights' concepts of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Additionally, the New York provincial legislature granted Quaker voters the right to affirm, rather than swear a sacred oath. As a result of this association, the church became a symbol of the precepts of the Bill of Rights.<blockquote>“St Paul’s remained a key community institution through the 1800’s, but then the area became increasingly urban and industrial. Mount Vernon, which had grown up around  the church, formally separated from the town of Eastchester when it became a city in 1892. By the 1930’s the church had become more and more isolated and was in danger of being demolished.” 1﻿</blockquote>A restoration campaign to return St. Paul’s to the original 18th century appearance began in 1941 due to the efforts of its rector, William Henry Wiegle. Funds for the restoration were raised by Sara Delano Roosevelt, mother of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, whose ancestor was an early vestryman.  The church’s congregation diminished during the mid 19th century, and it closed in 1977. Three years later it was transferred to the National Park Service, and in 1984 it opened to the public as a National Historic Site.

St. Paul’s Church is one of New York's oldest parishes. The present masonry church replaced the wooden structure built by 1696. Started in 1763, the church's construction was stalled by the congregation’s lack of resources and the turmoil caused by the Revolutionary War. During that conflict the unfinished church was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers by the British Army’s Hessian allies following Battle of Pell’s Point. The church was finally completed in 1788. The church grounds are occupied by an historical cemetery, where as many as 8,000 burials occurred with the first dating from 1704 and continuing through the 21st century. The burials include Hessian soldiers and people of African descent.

St. Paul's Church

On March 24, 1693, the New York General Assembly established the congregation that is now St. John's Episcopal Church. However, records indicate that the adherents of the Church of England in Yonkers were active with the Anglicans of both Eastchester and Westchester in supporting a minister as early as 1684. During the Colonial period, Yonkers was part of Philipsburg Manor, which was owned by the Philipse family. The congregation at Yonkers did not have its own house of worship until 1752 construction began on church near Philipse Manor Hall. This church was constructed through a bequest of Frederick Philipse II, the lord of Philipsburg Manor who had died the previous year. The church, a stone-and-brick building similar to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in present-day Mount Vernon, was completed in 1753. The 1752 church was heavily damaged by a fire that took place in May 1791. The church was repaired, and was consecrated under the title of St. John's Church, Philipsburgh, on August 21, 1792. Transepts and a chancel were added to the church in 1849. In 1872, the same year that Yonkers was incorporated as a city, the vestry of St. John's hired architect Edward Tuckerman Porter to design a new church on the same site as the parish's existing house of worship. The church's vestry required Tuckerman to keep several portions of the existing church as part of his design, including the building's south wall that had been built in 1752, the south transept and a portion of the east wall. The new church was completed in 1874. Although the basic style of the building is Gothic, the pre-existing rounded arches on the south wall of the structure meant that the rest of the windows on the new church would not be Gothic. Upon its completion, the finished church was described by the Episcopal Register: "The design of the present and elegant church approaches the Renaissance, the style of architecture prevalent in England during the reign of George the Second. But the herring-bone course of brick-work, the peculiar arrangement of the coping, the raking buttresses of the facade, not built with weatherings in the Gothic manner, but carried up on the batter, giving an appearance of massiveness and strength, the elaborate brickwork of the doorways, the paneling of the doors, and the great rings used as handles, all carry us back to the days of our grandfathers and clearly indicate the Dutch influence which prevailed at the time the original structure was put up....The entire south wall of the building is retained which was erected in 1752, with its venerable south door and windows; also the south transept and part of the east wall with two of the windows of the old chancel, the old weathervane and bell." In 1890-1891 several new structures were built on the property of St. John's Episcopal Church. Designed by architect Robert H. Robertson, these buildings included a rectory, chapel, and parish house. The parish house adjoins the west side of the church, the rectory adjoins the south side of the parish house, and the school adjoins the west side of the parish house. About this time the church also built St. John's Ice Water Fountain at the northwest corner of Broadway and Hudson Street. This fountain was designed by Benjamin Silliman and features a bronze plaque produced by Tiffany Glass Company. It was one of the first fountains to be mechanically cooled, as 200 lbs of ice were used to kept its refrigeration coils cool. St. John's Episcopal Church remains an active place of worship and activity more than 325 years after its founding. Its property, including the church, parish house, rectory and school, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The congregation that worships at St. John's Episcopal Church was founded in 1693 to serve the residents of Philipsburg Manor who adhered to the Church of England.  The congregation's first house of worship was built in 1752 through a bequest left by Frederick Philipse II, lord of Philipsburg Manor.  The present St. John's Episcopal Church was built in 1874.  Designed by architect Edward Tuckerman Potter, the house of worship includes a portion of the 1752 church.

St. John's Episcopal Church

Built in 1740 by Thomas Sherwood on a 25-acres leased on Philipsburg Manor; the family farm was later bought by his son, Stephen, from the State Commissioners of Forfeiture after the war in 1785. It now serves as a home for the Yonkers Historical Society (since 1962,) and it is also a museum. The Sherwood House is one of the few remaining pre-Revolutionary War fully furnished tenant farmhouses in the New York metropolitan area.  Sherwood cited the house at the base of a steep hill, with a partly exposed stone basement containing the kitchen. The “important porch” had two usable stories, one in front of the kitchen, and the other in front of the main rooms of the house. Thomas Sherwood built the farmhouse along an old Native American trail. In October 1776, on the order of General George Washington, that same trail would be made wider for passing the Continental Army. It would eventually become Tuckahoe Road.  It is likely Thomas and his son, Stephen, assisted with the process, since it went right past their farm and would be beneficial to them. Washington inspected the road, passing by the Sherwood Farm. In addition, Thomas Sherwood served as an ensign for the New York Militia during the American Revolutionary War.  In 1787, for reasons still unknown, Stephen Sherwood sold the land to Jabez Fowler. By 1802, Dr. John Ingersoll, Yonkers’ first medical doctor, had become the owner. He added a one-story wing as his personal office during this time. In 1834, Frederick Weed purchased the property. He would add a second floor to Ingersoll’s office; it also temporarily served as a tavern. It would remain within the Weed family until 1923.  Afterwards, it became a Prohibition speakeasy, then after Prohibition ended, a popular restaurant. In 1955, the property was acquired by Consolidated Edison. In fear of the old house catching on fire and damaging the overhead lines they wanted to put above it, they planned to tear it down. After public outcry, Con Ed. agreed to move the lines out of the way of the house, and donate it to the Yonkers Historical Society. The Sherwood House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

The Sherwood House is one of the few remaining pre-Revolutionary War tenant farmhouses in the New York metropolitan area.

Built in 1740 by Thomas Sherwood on a 25-acre farm originally leased on Philipsburg Manor. His son Stephen bought the farm from the State Commissioners of Forfeiture after the war. It now serves as a home for the Yonkers Historical Society since 1962.

Through various ownership changes, it was owned by Yonkers' first medical doctor, become a tavern, a Prohibition speakeasy, a popular restaurant, and it now is a museum.

The Sherwood House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.


Sherwood House

In 1667 Timothy Knapp, a native of Watertown, Massachusetts, acquired land on present-day Rye Beach Avenue from Thomas Studwell. By 1670 Knapp had constructed a house on this property. At first, the two-story house consisted of one all-purpose room on the first floor and a bedroom on the second floor. Before the end of the 17th century Knapp expanded his home, adding a parlor to the first floor and a second bedroom to the second floor. The Knapp family sold the house to Ezekiel Halsted in 1749. The house would remain in the Halsted family until 1906. Ezekiel Halstead added a new kitchen and dining room to the house, and raised and extended its roof to cover the new rooms. This construction changed the structure into a saltbox house. Halsted also sided some of the exterior walls with fish-scale shingles. Following his death from a fall in 1757, Ezekiel Halstead was interred across the street from his house in Milton Cemetery. This cemetery was laid out in 1750 on land donated to the Town of Rye by Joseph Lyon. The oldest tombstone in the cemetery dates from 1732, and marks a grave that was likely moved to the cemetery from a family burial ground. The number of burials in Milton Cemetery declined during the middle of the 19th century following the establishment of nearby Greenwood Union Cemetery, and interments were prohibited in the cemetery in the early 20th century. Milton Cemetery is owned and maintained by the City of Rye, and contains the graves of many of Rye's early residents as well as a number of interesting tombstones. In 1906 the descendants of Ezekiel Halstead sold the Timothy Knapp House to Simeon Ford, who was the proprietor of the Grand Union Hotel in Manhattan. Ford's son Ellsworth and daughter Lauren resided at the house. The Fords planted a garden and built a greenhouse north of the house, and the vegetables and flowers grown on the property were shipped daily to the Grand Union Hotel by Ellsworth Ford. Lauren Ford was an artist, and some of her works are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1969 Lauren Ford sold the Timothy Knapp House to the Taylor/Stigdon family, who had been renting the building since 1940. In 1992 the family sold the house, which had been added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, to the Rye Historical Society. The society embarked on a restoration project to return the building to its Colonial appearance. Today, the Timothy Knapp House is home to the archives of the Rye Historical Society.

The Timothy Knapp House is the oldest surviving dwelling in Westchester County.  Originally constructed about 1670 as a two-room dwelling, the house has been added on to several times, and took on its saltbox appearance in the middle of the 18th century.  In 1992 the Timothy Knapp House was acquired by the Rye Historical Society, which restored the structure to is Colonial appearance.  Across the street from the Knapp House is Milton Cemetery, a community burial ground that was laid out about 1750 by the Town of Rye.  Together, the house and the cemetery were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Timothy Knapp House and Milton Cemetery

While it was originally constructed in 1732, the Odell house was built in stages over time. Originally, it was a modest residential home that was built by John Tompkins of Eastchester and located in an area surrounded by locust trees and woods. Tompkins eventually built another house further north in 1760 and decided to make the home a “tenant farmstead of Philipsburg Manor, one of the largest and richest manors of its time.”1The structure itself is “a composite structure with varying roof heights.”2 The original single-story portion of the home was constructed in 1732 as mentioned, with a eastern wing added in 1765 that brought it to a one-half story home until 1785, when the west and eastern wings were raised once again. This would remain relatively untouched until 1855 when a two-story stone west wing was added to the home. Additionally, “the central and east portions of Odell House, on fieldstone foundations, are of wood frame construction covered with cedar shingles. The western wing is constructed of coursed local fieldstone. Shingles cover the gable roofs.”3 The structure also features three divided Dutch doors. Two located on the southern side, with one located to the north. In regards to the interior of the home, there is only one chimney that is located on the eastern end of the structure. The home's floors have had to have replacements over the years but originally it was constructed with red pine boards of random width, some of these boards can still be found. “All walls are covered with plaster, and, in some areas, the plaster is laid directly on the original wattle and daub.”4 Original mantles and molding are also still present in the home with much of the interior and exterior being modeled in the Dutch fashion. There is interest in the structure because much of its original eighteenth century aspects are still in place even in the twenty-first century. With time the structure has started to degrade but it is currently being restored. Following Tompkins' ownership of the home, Gilbert Bates occupied it from 1760 to 1785. But unfortunately “Bates himself had been captured by the British early in the war and, like many another unfortunate prisoner, had died in captivity.”5 Ownership then went to his wife who sold the property to Col. John Odell, hence the name Odell House. “A local hero, Odell is known for having served as Lieutenant in the Westchester Guides during the Revolution, and for having been a member of a family established in Westchester by 1662.”6 It was in Odell family ownership until 1965 when the property was given to the Sons of the American Revolution.“Odell farm is particularly well-known as the Headquarters of Count de Rochambeau and campsite for the French expeditionary forces under his command between July 6-August 18, 1781. Here, Washington and Rochambeau forged the American and French alliance, and agreed to put the southern plan into effect.”7 Together Rochambeau and Washington created a plan at the Headquarters to deceive the British into believing that there would be an attack on New York City while they moved their forces elsewhere. “They were well on their way to Virginia before they could be intercepted. With Lafayette, they trapped Cornwallis at Yorktown.”8 This capture led to the surrender of Cornwallis which ultimately led to the final victory of the Revolution.The home has many stories to share of stories across the centuries. With work underway to restore the structure, the public will be able to experience an important piece of colonial history in Westchester County. Odell House was added to the National Register in 1973.

Constructed in 1732, the Odell House or Rochambeau Headquarters, served as French headquarters for a unit of five thousand men during the Revolutionary War. While the structure itself has no outstandingly architectural features, the stories of its residents, and its use by the Count Rochambeau during the war for independence gives this small home immense historical meaning.

Odell House 

The Jacob Purdy House is currently located at 60 Park Avenue, White Plains, New York. George Washington and his army encamped at this house twice during the time of the Revolutionary War. Washington’s troops first used the Jacob Purdy House as a headquarters in 1776 during the Battle of White Plains. Then it was used again, in 1778 when Washington had the British Army on the run. It should be noted that there are still some historians who argue that Washington’s troops were located at the Miller House, another White Plains site, not the Purdy House in 1776. (2) The Mohican Native Americans originally owned the land where the Purdy House now stands. In 1683, Joseph Horton purchased one hundred and thirty two acres of land from the Mohicans, which now has become the city of White Plains. In the early 1720’s Joseph Horton’s brother Samuel, took control over the purchased land and shortly after, in 1721 began construction of the Purdy House. (1) When Samuel Horton died in 1730 the house and its surrounding farm land was purchased by Samuel Purdy. Samuel Purdy passed the land down to his son Jacob Purdy. Jacob owned the land during the Revolutionary War, when Washington occupied it twice. The Purdy family sold the house to Samuel Mott in 1869. In the 1960’s the house became neglected and was slated to be demolished to make way for roads. Fortunately for this historic site, in 1963 the Battle of White Plains Monument Committee purchased and restored the house. In 1973 the Purdy House was moved to Park Avenue and was deeded to the City of White Plains. It is currently maintained by the White Plains Historical Society. The Jacob Purdy House is still open today and is available for tours by appointment. You can also visit the Purdy House by checking events open to the public on the White Plains Historical Society’s official website. (3)

The Jacob Purdy House was used by President George Washington as his headquarters twice, in 1776 and 1778, during the Revolutionary War. The Purdy House is believed to be the oldest residence in the city of White Plains.

The Jacob Purdy House

The oldest section of the Miller House was built in 1738, on land acquired by John Miller and the Miller family around the 1680s. The original portion of the house was built in 1738 and then later added on to by Elijah Miller around 1770. In addition to being one of the few remaining 18th century structures in White Plains, the house is an excellent example of the colonial vernacular architecture. While not particularly unique, the house exhibits features that were popular with farmsteads in Westchester at the time. The clapboarded one and a half story home has a porch that extends the full length of the front of the home and two interior chimneys on either side. As the Revolution broke out, Elijah Miller joined the Westchester Militia as a Lieutenant under Colonel Samuel Drake. He was wounded at Hells Gate on the East River in the days leading up to the Battle of Brooklyn and died of his wounds on August 21, 1776. Ann Fisher Miller, Elijah’s widow, and their five children took over the home and farm prior to the retreat of Washington’s Continental Army from New York City. Between October 21st and 31st they took up positions in White Plains in preparation for an assault by British General William Howe. At some point the Miller home was commandeered and used as a command post for Continental Army leadership, while the Miller’s farmland played host to the soldiers’ camps. General Howe, having failed to cut off Washington’s retreat, assaulted the colonial forces on October 28th. Washington’s defeat at White Plains would force him to retreat further north, crossing the Hudson River at Peekskill and would set the stage for his famous crossing of the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton. Those October days would be well remembered by locals and by the 1850s the Miller House would become an unofficial shrine to George Washington. In 1917, after decades of intermittent occupation, Westchester County purchased the Miller House and the remaining land. It was opened to the public the following year as a museum operated by the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation with assistance from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Due to financial constraints, the museum would fall into disuse and public access became limited. In 2017, the Friends of The Miller House announced that $2 million would be put towards renovating the house for future use. The Miller House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 29, 1976.

This colonial-era farmhouse is one of the last remaining 18th-century buildings in White Plains. As an important landmark in the events of the 1776 Battle of White Plains, the Miller House was the home of Ann Fisher Miller, widow of a Westchester Militiaman named Elijah Miller. Generations of tradition surround the colonial farmhouse and it has become an important cultural feature in the North White Plains/North Castle area. The house is owned by Westchester County and offers public programs.

The Miller House

A native of Bermuda, William Hammond arrived in New York in the early 1700s. By 1719 he was leasing a tenant farm on Philipsburg Manor, and about that year he constructed a home on the parcel that he was renting. Because William owned the building but not the land on which it was located, he constructed the house without a basement so that it could be relocated if his lease was terminated. William served as an elder at the Old Dutch Church in nearby Sleepy Hollow, and was also a captain in the militia. After William died in 1762, his fourth son, James, inherited the tenant farm. James served as an officer in the Westchester County Militia during the Revolutionary War, and was appointed a lieutenant colonel in 1775 and a colonel in 1776. He was captured by the British in May 1780 and was held as a prisoner until November 1781. As Frederick Philipse III sided with Great Britain during the Revolutionary War, the State of New York confiscated Philipsburg Manor during the conflict. Disposition of the manor was the responsibility of the Commissioners of Forfeiture, who sold off the tenant farms from 1784 to 1786. In 1785 James Hammond purchased the farm that he had been leasing from the Philipses. He lived in the home until his death in 1810, and the dwelling remained in his family for at least three more generations. The central portion of the Hammond House, which is one-and-a-half stories with a broad front porch, is the original section of the structure. In 1835 a small cottage that was standing on another portion of the property was moved and adjoined to the west end of the original house. This addition served as the house's kitchen wing. In 1860 a two-story addition was built on the east side of the original section. The land on which the Hammond House stands was acquired by New York City in 1923. Two years later, the city allowed the Westchester County Historical Society to acquire and restore the house. WCHS operated Hammond House as a museum from 1926 to 1989, but sold the building after it was unable to acquire the land on which it stood. Hammond House, which is now privately owned, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

From 1693 to 1779 all of the present towns of Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant and Ossining, as well as the City of Yonkers, were part of Philipsburg Manor, which had been granted the Philipse family through a royal charter.  The manor featured hundreds of tenant farms, one of which was leased by the Hammond family.  Comprising 242 acres, the farm included a house that was built by William Hammond in 1719.  When the tenant farms were auctioned by New York State in 1785, the Hammond family purchased their farm, and resided on the property for at least three more generations.  Operated by the Westchester County Historical Society as a museum for many years and now privately owned, the Hammond House is an excellent example of a Colonial tenant farmhouse.

Hammond House

Philipsburg Manor or Upper Mills was the commercial center of the Philipse family's land holdings in New York, which were granted to them by royal charter in 1693. Adolph Philipse inherited the Upper Mills from his father Frederick in 1702 and connected this plantation enterprise to the family's vast trade network in the West Indies and Africa. The Manor relied on enslaved Africans to run the complex and at one point 23 were employed on site. By the mid-eighteenth century, the Philipse family was one of the wealthiest and largest slave owners in the Northern colonies. A variety of goods were grown on the land and processed at the Upper Mills. Tenant farmers also brought their crops to the mill. From an office in New York, Adolph would handle the shipment of the goods, which were primarily dairy products and grains such as wheat and rye. The water-powered gristmill, powered by the Pocantico River, produced 5,000 pounds of flour a day on average. Upon reaching New York City, it would be packaged and shipped overseas, where it would be traded for such goods as tobacco and sugar. When the American Revolution broke out, the Philipse family took the side of the British. This resulted in their land’s confiscation in 1779 and subsequent departure from America in 1783. Following this, the property was auctioned to raise funds for the Colonial cause. The Beekman family would end up purchasing the biggest chunk of this newly forfeited land. The house saw various owners in the 19th century. The last private owner was a Broadway star, Elsie Janis. In 1940. John D. Rockefeller bought what was then called Philipse Castle, restored it to its eighteenth century appearance and opened it to the public as a historic site in 1943. The site became a National Historic Landmark on November 5, 1961. In 2004, it would become of the locations on the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County. Today, Philipsburg Manor includes a gristmill, manor house, barn and wharf. The grounds include traditional farm equipment and a slave garden where "traditional crops and medicinal herbs are grown." Tour guides in period costume give visitors an authentic experience of life at Philipsburg Manor prior to the Revolutionary war.

Located in Sleepy Hollow, New York,  Philipsburg Manor once encompassed over 52,000 acres. Owned by the Philipse family through the grant of a royal charter in 1693, this manor was a commercial venture managed by Adolph Philipse, an international merchant who lived in New York City. The land was divided and rented to European tenant farmers. This location was referred to as the Upper Mills and was the industrial heart of the Manor where the farmers brought their grain to the gristmill. Adolph's nephew, Frederick, owned a similar farm located in what is now Yonkers, which was referred to as the Lower Mills.

It is important to note that, at one point, the Manor relied on 23 African slaves to run the complex. By the mid-eighteenth century, the Philipse's were one of the wealthiest families in New York and largest slave owners in the Northern colonies.

When the American Revolution broke out, the Philipse family took the side of the British. This resulted in the land’s confiscation in 1779 and subsequent departure for America by the Philipse family in 1783.

Philipsburg Manor was added as a National Historic Landmark on November 5, 1961. In 2004, it was included as a stop on the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County.

Philipsburg Manor

The Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow is the oldest standing church in the state of New York. Built in 1685, as the date inscribed on its Holland-made bell suggests, it was officially organized as a Dutch Reformed congregation in 1697. The church was built Frederick Philipse, lord of Philipsburg Manor, and his wife, Catherine Van Cortlandt. Both Frederick and Catherine were entombed in a crypt beneath the church's floor following their deaths. The church served as the sole home for its congregation for over 150 years, until a second church was built in Tarrytown about 1840. Shortly after the Civil War, the church in Tarrytown replaced the Old Dutch Church as the congregation's primary place of worship. However, the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns still has worship on summer Sundays as well as on special holidays. Only a few changes have been made to the church since it was built. After Philipsburg Manor was confiscated by the State of New York following the end of the Revolutionary War, the special pews of the Lords of the Manor, who had sided with the British during the conflict, were removed. Following a fire in 1837, the entrance to the church was changed from the south side to the west side. At that time, the church's north gallery was removed, its west gallery was enlarged, and its original pulpit was replaced. A partial restoration completed in the 1890s reversed some of the changes that had been made in 1837. Congregational gatherings aren't the only traditions that the church continues. Through ceremonies and dramatic readings, the church keeps alive Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," because Old Dutch Church and churchyard are the icons that Irving wrote of in his tale. He first saw the church as a teenager, and would make it world-famous in 1820 with the publication of his story. One portion of the tale reads: <blockquote>It stands on a knoll, surrounded by locust-trees and lofty elms, from among which its descent, whitewashed walls shine modestly forth, like Christian purity, beaming through the shades of retirement.... To look upon this grassgrown yard, where the sunbeams seem to sleep so quietly, one would think that there at least the dead might rest in peace.</blockquote> Ever since, visitors from across the country have come to see the iconic church "where Ichabod Crane led the choir and courted Katrina Van Tassel among the old gravestones in the churchyard." They also enjoy wandering through the church's 2.5-acre cemetery (not to be confused with the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which lies adjacent to the church), where the hamlet's residents who likely inspired such characters as Katrina Van Tassel, Brom Bones, and others from the legend are interred.  Among the several hundred tombstones in the churchyard are several that are inscribed in the Dutch language. Those wishing to visit should know that the churchyard is free of admission, and open year-round to the public. The church itself is open during select times of the year for worship services, ceremonies, and readings.

The Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow is the oldest standing church in the state of New York. Built in 1685, it was officially organized as a Dutch Reformed congregation in 1697.  The church served as a home for its congregation for over 150 years, until a new church was built elsewhere. However, it still holds service during select times of the year. The Old Dutch Church and its adjoining cemetery are perhaps best known as being the iconic church and churchyard that Washington Irving wrote about in his famous tale "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." 

Old Dutch Church

“The Chappaqua Meeting House was originally constructed in 1753 and enlarged to its present size shortly after the end of the Revolutionary War. It has a standard design that goes back to the 17th century.”1 Standing on a slight rise on the West side of Quaker Road, the building has two separate entrances, one for men, one for women. It has no stained-glass windows and does not feature decoration within the interior. Movable benches and panels inside allow for an ease of access between congregants and for meetings, this is a common feature within Quaker buildings of the 18th century. Since its construction “the Meeting House has been enlarged twice: first in 1778-1780 by the side addition of a 20-foot by 18-foot wood-frame wing in the west side, and second in 1961 by the construction of a west wing.”2 The extensions have allowed for more followers to come over the centuries and decades and made it so space is of no issue. Even today, followers of the faith can go to the Meeting House and practice/attend meetings.The house has served as a meeting place for Quakers in Chappaqua and neighboring areas in Westchester County, making it a location where the faith could practice in peace. For the Quakers of the 18th century and still today “they believe in equality, of men and women, and of all races and nationalities.”3 The Quakers additionally believe in refusing to engage in war or any type of confrontation, meaning they are a people of peace. Quakers expect truthfulness and fairness in all interactions with others. This mindset led the members of the society to rethink their stance on slavery, and what it meant to own the life of another human being. “Because the Quakers believed that all people had access to the inner light and were equal before God, they were the first Christian denomination to conclude that ownership of fellow human beings was wrong.”4 The Quakers of Westchester County who attended meetings in houses much like Chappaqua’s began questioning the morality of slavery in the late 18th century. They served as a catalyst for its abolition in New York during the time leading up to the Civil War. In 1767, the Quakers stated that “[it] is not consistent with Christianity to buy or sell our fellow men for slaves”5. They went on to free the slaves that were in their possession, and provided them with land to settle and farm on. Actions carried out by these Quakers regarding the freedom of enslaved people would influence the creation of important landmarks and societies pertaining to African American history within Westchester County. One example is “The Hills,” a vibrant community of free Blacks located in Harrison that coexisted with their Quaker neighbors in nearby towns.

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. 

The Friends Meeting House

In 1750 three residents of Cortlandt Manor acquired a parcel of land from Andrew Johnston "in trust for a school and burying place...and exercise of the public worship of God, and that it be for that purpose in the erecting or building of a meeting house or houses for the religious (under the protection of our most gracious majesty,) either the Church of England, Presbyterian, Independents Baptist, or Congregational, &amp;c...." The northern portion of this parcel was claimed by the adherents of the Church of England, who began to use it as a burial place. In 1766 a church was built on this parcel, and its first service was held on August 9, 1767. The new church measured 28' x 36' and has but two windows, both of which flank the doorway on the west side. St. Peter's Church saw a great deal of activity during the Revolutionary War. George Washington is believed to have worshiped at the church on occasion, and an undocumented legend says that he "read morning prayers" there during a stay at the nearby Van Cortlandt Upper Manor House. The church was used as a hospital by General Rochambeau's French troops in 1781 and 1782, and the soldiers who died while being treated there were laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery. A row of crosses **** marks ****. The largest monument in the church's cemetery marks the grave of John Paulding (1758-1818), who was one of the three militiamen who captured British Major John André in Tarrytown on September 23, 1780. In December 1826 the New York City Common Council passed a resolution to fund the placement of a monument at Paulding's grave. The completed monument was dedicated on November 22, 1827, by a delegation of New York City officials that took a steamboat from Manhattan to Peekskill. In 1838 the congregation of St. Peter's built a new house of worship in Peekskill, about two miles southwest of the old church, now called Old St. Peter's to distinguish it from its successor. Old St. Peter's was, and still is, used for special occasions such as weddings and funerals.  The congregation maintained an interest in preserving the old church, and in the 1960s completed a restoration project that included the reintroduction of box pews inside the structure. An additional restoration project was completed in 2008. Old St. Peter's Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

One of the oldest surviving houses of worship in Westchster County, Old St. Peter's Church was built in 1766 to serve the adherents of the Church of England in the northwest portion of Cortlandt Manor.  The land on which the church stands had been acquired from one of the heirs of Cortlandt Manor in 1750, and was in use as a cemetery at the time the church was built.  Among those who interred in the cemetery are several French soldiers who died in the church while it was being used as a hospital during the Revolutionary War.  The largest monument in the cemetery marks the grave of John Paulding, one of the three militiamen who captured Major John André in 1780.  Although the Episcopal congregation that used Old St. Peter's moved to a new house of worship in Peekskill in 1838, the old church still stands and is used for special occasions.

Old St. Peter's Church

In the early 1700s, Daniel Strang, the son of a Huguenot who was naturalized in England also named Daniel Strang, settled in Yorktown after leaving his father’s property in New Rochelle. It was around 1728 that he settled with his wife Phoebe Purdy and their eight children at this homestead, less than a mile away from the First Presbyterian Church which served as the center point for the township of Crompond Corners. While not much is known about the Strang family’s involvement with the town at this point, it is assumed that the family’s loyalties were divided at the time the Revolutionary War broke out. One of Daniel and Phoebe’s sons, Daniel Strang III, was arrested in Peekskill in 1776, on suspicion of being a spy for the British. He was apprehended while lurking around the army units stationed at the Peekskill Academy. When he was searched by Continental forces, they found several documents from British Colonel Robert Rogers who was commander of the Queen’s Rangers, the unit that would later become Simcoe’s Rangers. The documents, dated December 30, 1776, authorized Strang and others to recruit disaffected soldiers to the Rangers and detailed the terms and rewards that would be offered for recruitment. According to reports, Strang made no attempt to defend himself and on the authority of General Washington, he was tried and sentenced to death as a spy. He was hung on Oak Hill on the grounds of the Peekskill Academy on January 27, 1777 as the first spy to be tried and executed under the First Espionage Act passed by the Contented Congress in August of 1776. It is uncertain what happened to the Daniel Strang Homestead after the war, however rumors circulate about a stone outcropping under the house being used as a hiding place for loyalists and British sympathizers. In 1812, Abraham Requa Strang was born in the home. A direct descendant of Daniel Strang the spy, he owned the home for many years until he moved to a home on Crompond Road. Ever the public servant, Abraham Requa Strang served on the town’s Board of Supervisors in 1852-53 as well as a member of the assembly of the First District of Westchester County in 1856. Additionally, he served as the County Superintendent for the Poor for over a decade in 1860-1872. Afterwards it was reported that the property was owned by James Knapp and family in the 1880s. The homestead hasn’t changed much on the outside since the days of Daniel Strang. There is a newer addition on the north side of the house, but the rest has been maintained to look as it did in the 18th century. The barn behind the home and the old well on the property were all parts of the original construction. The inside of the home has also been restored to reflect the colonial era as faithfully as possible while still allowing for modern upgrades and newer technologies. A giant brass key hung near the front door is said to be the key to the original 18th century doors.

This 18th-century homestead was home to members of the Strang family, one of the earliest families to settle in Yorktown. During the Revolutionary War, the Strang family was an example of the divisions that existed in Westchester at the time. While some family members supported the American cause of liberty, others supported the British Crown.

Daniel Strang Homestead

Also known as Quakers, members of the Society of Friends have been meeting in Amawalk since about 1760. Records indicate that a meeting on "Cortlands Manor" was active in 1767. Five years later this congregation requested and received permission to build a meeting house, which was completed in 1773. In 1779 this meeting house was destroyed by fire, and it was replaced by a new building that was finished by 1787. During the Separation 1827, when Quaker congregations split into Orthodox and Hicksite factions, the Amawalk Friends sides with the Hicksite faction. The Hicksite Friends "emphasized the role of the Inward Light in guiding individual faith and conscience." The second meeting house used by the Amawalk Friends was destroyed by fire on December 14, 1830. A third meeting house was reported completed on August 12, 1831, at a cost of $1,272.94. This frame structure, which has changed little since its completion, still stands today, and reflects the simplicity of design favored by the Society of Friends. The building features two separate entrances, which were originally separate entrances for men and women. These doors are approached via a porch that was likely added in the middle of the 19th century. The cloakroom and privy at the west end of the building were also probably added in the mid-1800s. The interior of the meeting house features a large meeting space on the first floor and a second-floor gallery. The older of the two wood-burning stoves in the meeting space was purchased in 1888. Typical of a traditional Quaker meeting house, the meeting space has no sanctuary or altar. Behind the meeting house is a burial ground that was first used by the Amawalk Friends in the 18th century. The majority of the tombstones in the burial ground are simple, and contain little information beyond the deceased's name and dates of birth and death. The larger Amawalk Hill Cemetery to the west and Carpenter Side Hill Cemetery to the north are not part of the Amawalk Friends Meeting House property, which comprises 2.9 acres. Perhaps the most well-known person interred in the Friends burial ground is war photographer Robert Capa, whose grave is located near the western boundary of the property. The Amawalk Friends Meeting experienced a great amount of growth during the 1970s and 1980s, and as a result the congregation built a First Day School south of the meeting house. The school building was completed in 1987. The Amawalk Friends Meeting House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The present Amawalk Friends Meeting House was built in 1831 on a site that has been used for Quaker meetings since about 1760.  Two previous meeting houses had been destroyed by fire in 1779 and 1830.  The meeting house has changed little since it was first constructed, and is a rare surviving example of an early 19th-century Friends meeting house.  The 2.9 acre property on which the meeting house stands also includes a burial ground that dates to the 18th century and a First Day School that was completed in 1987.

Amawalk Friends Meeting House

Inherited by Richardson Davenport from land previously granted to Stephanus van Cortlandt by King William III of England, construction of the Davenport Inn was completed circa 1750. It was in operation as an inn throughout the Revolutionary War and was chosen as a command post for General George Washington’s troops due to its location on a hill overlooking Pines Bridge and the Croton River. In May of 1781, the Davenport Inn became the site of a skirmish between the 1st Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Army, comprised of freed Black slaves and indigenous men, under the command of Colonel Christopher Greene and loyalist Torries from the Royal Refugee Corps, comprised of disenfranchised farmers under Lieutenant Colonel James Delancey. The war created a “no man’s land” territory between British controlled White Plains and colonial controlled northern Westchester at the Croton River. This didn’t stop British troops from raiding northern Westchester towns and farms which drove some Westchester residents to support the American cause. On the other hand, the requisition and commandeering of materials, crops, and livestock by the Continental Army drove many residents to support the loyalists and British Army. The 1781 skirmish took place on the Davenport property as well as other properties in the area between Pines Bridge and Oblenus Ford south of Turkey Mountain. A Westchester resident and British Captain named Gilbert Totten was arrested just a few days earlier for suspiciously approaching Pines Bridge with a flag. He was released after being questioned and immediately left to deliver information on the defenses of the area to Colonel Delancey. Sources claim that Totten was insulted by having freed slaves as his guard while he was arrested. Delancy’s troops marched throughout the night from Morrisania in The Bronx and attacked the Colonial forces at the bridge just after sunrise. Cavalry and foot soldiers crossed Oblenus Ford over the Croton River and marched up the valley along Turkey Mountain towards the Inn. During the engagement Colonel Greene and Major Ebenezer Flagg were killed, with Greene’s body reported having been mutilated as punishment for leading freed slaves in combat. The death records for the battle are not complete but some reports claim that at least 45 previously enslaved men and colonial officers gave their lives in the conflict and at least 50 were captured. The freedmen were reportedly taken to the British West Indies to be resold into slavery. Colonel Greene and Major Flagg were buried under a stone monument at The First Presbyterian Church in Yorktown, though the burial location of the fallen freedmen soldiers has not been found. The engagement was a defeat for the Continental Army despite soldiers from the 1st Rhode Island maintaining control over the inn and bridge. After the battle, Colonel Delancey returned to New York City (Then New York Island) where he remained until the end of the war despite several attempts by General Washington to capture him and hold him accountable for the state that Greene’s body was found in. After the war, Delancey fled to Nova Scotia where he continuously attempted to legalize slavery, which was formerly abolished in the province in 1782. He died in 1804 having never succeeded in that cause. The Davenport House, which survived the skirmish and the war, was continuously occupied by the Griffen family who were directly related to the Davenports. Later, the family built their own home across the street (which is now Peter Pratt’s Inn), which they lived in until 1920. Over the years modifications and additions were built onto the house but musket ball holes can still be seen in the attic and on the western façade of the building.

The Davenport House is the only surviving structure in Westchester Country which was held by Continental troops throughout the Revolutionary War as a command post. The property was the command post for Colonel Christopher Greene and the 1st Rhode Island Regiment and was the site of the Battle of Pines Bridge in 1781.

Westchester County Colonial Era Tour

North Salem Town House (Stephen De Lancey House)

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information