The Locusts
Encyclopedia
The Locusts, also known as the Peter Eltinge House, is a 19th-century brick Federal style
house built in 1826 located on Plains Road in the Town of New Paltz, New York
, United States
, two miles (3 km) south of the village
of New Paltz. It was once the center of a large farm. The house and several outbuildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as well-preserved examples of that style in Ulster County
.
When built, it marked a significant departure from the New Paltz area's previous styles, which tended toward stone
houses in vernacular
styles used by the area's Belgian Huguenot
settlers. It has seen many modifications since then, but still remains true to its original concept. The Eltinge family has owned the house continuously as part of its 250-year ownership of the land.
. The foundation
is built of coursed
stone; most of the rest of the house is brick.
A fanlight
surmounts the six-panel door at the main entrance in the middle of the first story. The main entrance, fronted by a porch
, leads into a central hallway. Another entrance, set in a brick surround, is located in the stone rear facade, offset slightly into the second-westerly of the rear facade's four bays. The windows all have shutters
, paneled on the first floor but louvered on the upper stories. Stone was used for the lintels there as well. A bracketed
cornice
, added later, marks the line of a gable
d asphalt-shingle
d roof.
The front entrance leads to a 12 foot (4 m) wide central hallway, with a finely crafted decorative arch
way separating the reception area from the staircase. The second floor is similarly laid out. Unusually for the era, none of the rooms have fireplace
s. Instead, heating was provided by stove
s, many of which remain, with their own chimney
outlets. Much of the original flooring, trim and Dutch door
s with wrought iron
fixtures remains.
to Noah Eltinge and Nathaniel LaFever from King George II
as a reward for their service in the French and Indian War
. The two divided it equally, and Noah added it to a large tract he inherited from his father. He built the first house on it, a stone structure near the site of the present one, in 1748.
He bequeathed it to his daughter and her husband upon his death 30 years later, and in turn it passed to their daughters. In 1806 the slave quarters were built. In 1826 the original house burned down
. The new house, the current one, was left to Peter Eltinge and his family. Its brick style was a significant departure from its predecessor and many other since-demolished houses in the area; some of the vernacular
elements of the Huguenot
-style stone houses found on Huguenot Street
in New Paltz and elsewhere remain. The date stone from the original house is located near the front door.
Eltinge's seven children divided the property upon his death in 1842. By this time the original farm was down to 175 acre (0.7082005 km²). The brackets were added around 1880, along with a well
house and horse block. In the early 20th century the Colonial Revival
front porch was added.
The farm continued to decline, and by the 1930s 30 Eltinge heirs had a claim to the property. It was bought in 1932 by one of them, Isabella Bush, who installed a furnace
, electricity and modern plumbing
in it. At the time it was added to the National Register in 1996, one of her descendants, Robert Eltinge Lasher, was still living there with his wife.
included with the property. Three are extant structures, including two outbuildings, and one is the site of the original stone house.
The small two-by-two-bay -story stone building to the east was built to house slaves in 1806. Edmund Eltinge converted it to tenant farmer housing in 1817. In the mid-19th century a frame addition was built and the Greek Revival
cornice
with partial returns was also added.
To the north is a small spring house. Wood in the first story, otherwise made of stone, suggests it was constructed in the early 19th century; the frame second story was added at the end of that century. A ca.-1800 horse block is also among the outbuildings.
Robert Lasher also describes a clapboard
outhouse
he and his siblings knew as the "Lilac House", from the surrounding bushes, from his childhood visits in the 1920s. It is no longer extant, although the bushes remain.
The original house site is visible as a small depression in the lawn to the immediate south of the current house. While a number of artifacts
have been recovered from this site, there have been no formal archaeological
excavations. It is believed that such invesitgations, if undertaken, could yield considerable information about the first 80 years of the property's history.
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
house built in 1826 located on Plains Road in the Town of New Paltz, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, two miles (3 km) south of the village
New Paltz (village), New York
New Paltz is a village in Ulster County in the U.S. state of New York. It is about north of New York City and south of Albany. The population was 6,818 at the 2010 census.The Village of New Paltz is located within the Town of New Paltz...
of New Paltz. It was once the center of a large farm. The house and several outbuildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as well-preserved examples of that style in Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
.
When built, it marked a significant departure from the New Paltz area's previous styles, which tended toward stone
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
houses in vernacular
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
styles used by the area's Belgian Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
settlers. It has seen many modifications since then, but still remains true to its original concept. The Eltinge family has owned the house continuously as part of its 250-year ownership of the land.
Building
The house is a rectangular, -story structure with five baysBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. The foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
is built of coursed
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
stone; most of the rest of the house is brick.
A fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
surmounts the six-panel door at the main entrance in the middle of the first story. The main entrance, fronted by a porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
, leads into a central hallway. Another entrance, set in a brick surround, is located in the stone rear facade, offset slightly into the second-westerly of the rear facade's four bays. The windows all have shutters
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
, paneled on the first floor but louvered on the upper stories. Stone was used for the lintels there as well. A bracketed
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, added later, marks the line of a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d asphalt-shingle
Asphalt shingle
An asphalt shingle is a type of roof shingle. They are one of the most widely used roofing covers because they are relatively inexpensive and fairly simple to install.-Types:...
d roof.
The front entrance leads to a 12 foot (4 m) wide central hallway, with a finely crafted decorative arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
way separating the reception area from the staircase. The second floor is similarly laid out. Unusually for the era, none of the rooms have fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
s. Instead, heating was provided by stove
Stove
A stove is an enclosed heated space. The term is commonly taken to mean an enclosed space in which fuel is burned to provide heating, either to heat the space in which the stove is situated or to heat the stove itself, and items placed on it...
s, many of which remain, with their own chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
outlets. Much of the original flooring, trim and Dutch door
Dutch door
A Dutch door , or stable door , or half door , is a door divided horizontally in such a fashion that the bottom half may remain shut while the top half opens...
s with wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
fixtures remains.
History
The land where the house now stands was originally part of a 3000 acres (12.1 km²) land grantLand grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
to Noah Eltinge and Nathaniel LaFever from King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
as a reward for their service in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. The two divided it equally, and Noah added it to a large tract he inherited from his father. He built the first house on it, a stone structure near the site of the present one, in 1748.
He bequeathed it to his daughter and her husband upon his death 30 years later, and in turn it passed to their daughters. In 1806 the slave quarters were built. In 1826 the original house burned down
Structure fire
A structure fire is a fire involving the structural components of various residential buildings ranging from single-family detached homes and townhouses to apartments and tower blocks, or various commercial buildings ranging from offices to shopping malls...
. The new house, the current one, was left to Peter Eltinge and his family. Its brick style was a significant departure from its predecessor and many other since-demolished houses in the area; some of the vernacular
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
elements of the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
-style stone houses found on Huguenot Street
Huguenot Street Historic District
The Huguenot Street Historic District is located near downtown New Paltz, New York, approximately north of New York City. The seven stone houses and several accompanying structures in the district were built in the early 18th century by Huguenot settlers fleeing discrimination and religious...
in New Paltz and elsewhere remain. The date stone from the original house is located near the front door.
Eltinge's seven children divided the property upon his death in 1842. By this time the original farm was down to 175 acre (0.7082005 km²). The brackets were added around 1880, along with a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
house and horse block. In the early 20th century the Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
front porch was added.
The farm continued to decline, and by the 1930s 30 Eltinge heirs had a claim to the property. It was bought in 1932 by one of them, Isabella Bush, who installed a furnace
Furnace
A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
, electricity and modern plumbing
Plumbing
Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...
in it. At the time it was added to the National Register in 1996, one of her descendants, Robert Eltinge Lasher, was still living there with his wife.
Contributing resources
There are four other contributing resourcesContributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
included with the property. Three are extant structures, including two outbuildings, and one is the site of the original stone house.
The small two-by-two-bay -story stone building to the east was built to house slaves in 1806. Edmund Eltinge converted it to tenant farmer housing in 1817. In the mid-19th century a frame addition was built and the Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
with partial returns was also added.
To the north is a small spring house. Wood in the first story, otherwise made of stone, suggests it was constructed in the early 19th century; the frame second story was added at the end of that century. A ca.-1800 horse block is also among the outbuildings.
Robert Lasher also describes a clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
he and his siblings knew as the "Lilac House", from the surrounding bushes, from his childhood visits in the 1920s. It is no longer extant, although the bushes remain.
The original house site is visible as a small depression in the lawn to the immediate south of the current house. While a number of artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
have been recovered from this site, there have been no formal archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
excavations. It is believed that such invesitgations, if undertaken, could yield considerable information about the first 80 years of the property's history.