Tobias Van Steenburgh House
Encyclopedia
The Tobias Van Steenburgh House is located on Wall Street (NY 32
) in Kingston
, New York, United States. It is a stone house built around the beginning of the 18th century.
It was one of the only buildings in Kingston not burned by the British in 1777. A large plaque
on the front of the house notes this. In 1999 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
to the National Register listing. An iron fence separates the property from the sidewalk.
From a full basement, the house rises one and a half stories. It is faced in limestone
rubble and has a steeply pitched
gable
d roof with projecting eaves pierced by a large central dormer
with flanking shed dormers. On the west (rear) elevation, there is a frame
extension one bay
wider than the house itself in either direction. Both bays end in small, gabled dependencies.
The east (front) facade
is five bays wide, asymmetrical but with a centrally located front entrance. The windows are in heavy mortise and tenon
frames. In the front wall near the north end is a large embedded stone tablet explaining that the house "suffered no injury" when British troops burned Kingston on October 16, 1777, and that it was home to the van Steeburgh family for two centuries.
The north and south ends are similar, with asymmetrical fenestration
in both. A garret
door remains in the upper gable end on the west profile.
The main entrance, a recessed Georgian
-style door with transom
, opens into a central hallway that runs the depth of the original stone building. A parlor is on the east and a large dining area on the west. Both rooms have exposed ceiling beams and Georgian trim. In the parlor is an intricate Federal style mantel
with chip-carved sunburst
motif. The dining room has a large fireplace with plain surround meant for cooking. The original rear doors lead into the rear extension; hyphens
lead to other stone dependencies with office space and a modern kitchen.
, Kingston's newspaper, that the house had been built by that year. Its original owner, the first Van Steenburgh, was a man named Jan Janise, later Jansen Timmerman, from the Dutch town of Amersfoort
who assumed the Van Steenburgh name after he married in 1660.
His descendant Tobias Van Steenburgh was the owner of record at the time of the Revolution
. Why the house was not burned in 1777 is not known. Legend has it that it was the home of a Mrs. Hammersly, a woman with Loyalist
sympathies, who was in love with a British officer who spared the house. Others have it that the British began to burn the house, but the order to withdraw
was sounded soon after and slaves who were hiding in the nearby woods quickly extinguished what little fire there was after the troops left. A variant on that tale says that since the house was used as an inn at the time, the slaves rolled a barrel of rum they had tapped and treated the soldiers to free drink until the order came to leave.
The house remained in the Van Steenburgh family until the mid-19th century. In 1897, on the 120th anniversary of the burning, the local Daughters of the American Revolution
chapter placed the plaque in the front wall. In 1930 local architect Henry Graiser built the rear addition, carefully designed to be sympathetic and non-intrusive to the original house. There have been no significant changes to the building since.
New York State Route 32
New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
) in Kingston
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
, New York, United States. It is a stone house built around the beginning of the 18th century.
It was one of the only buildings in Kingston not burned by the British in 1777. A large plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
on the front of the house notes this. In 1999 it was added to 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...
.
Building
The house is located on the west side of Wall Street near its junction with Franklin Street. The surrounding neighborhood is residential, with houses of more recent construction. There is a former school building to the west. In the rear of the house are a modern garage and swimming pool, neither of which are considered contributing propertiesContributing 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...
to the National Register listing. An iron fence separates the property from the sidewalk.
From a full basement, the house rises one and a half stories. It is faced in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rubble and has a steeply pitched
Roof pitch
In building construction, roof pitch is a numerical measure of the steepness of a roof, and a pitched roof is a roof that is steep.The roof's pitch is the measured vertical rise divided by the measured horizontal span, the same thing as what is called "slope" in geometry. Roof pitch is typically...
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 roof with projecting eaves pierced by a large central dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
with flanking shed dormers. On the west (rear) elevation, there is a frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
extension one bay
Bay (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:...
wider than the house itself in either direction. Both bays end in small, gabled dependencies.
The east (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
is five bays wide, asymmetrical but with a centrally located front entrance. The windows are in heavy mortise and tenon
Mortise and tenon
The mortise and tenon joint has been used for thousands of years by woodworkers around the world to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at an angle of 90°. In its basic form it is both simple and strong. Although there are many joint variations, the basic mortise and tenon...
frames. In the front wall near the north end is a large embedded stone tablet explaining that the house "suffered no injury" when British troops burned Kingston on October 16, 1777, and that it was home to the van Steeburgh family for two centuries.
The north and south ends are similar, with asymmetrical fenestration
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
in both. A garret
Garret
A garret is generally synonymous in modern usage with a habitable attic or small living space at the top of a house. It entered Middle English via Old French with a military connotation of a watchtower or something akin to a garrison, in other words a place for guards or soldiers to be quartered...
door remains in the upper gable end on the west profile.
The main entrance, a recessed Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
-style door with transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
, opens into a central hallway that runs the depth of the original stone building. A parlor is on the east and a large dining area on the west. Both rooms have exposed ceiling beams and Georgian trim. In the parlor is an intricate Federal style mantel
Mantel
Mantel is a municipality in the district of Neustadt in Bavaria in Germany....
with chip-carved sunburst
Sunburst
Sunburst is a type of finish for musical instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars and electric basses. At the center of a sunburst-finished surface is an area of lighter color that darkens gradually towards the edges before hitting a dark rim...
motif. The dining room has a large fireplace with plain surround meant for cooking. The original rear doors lead into the rear extension; hyphens
Hyphen (architecture)
In architecture, a hyphen is a connecting link between two larger building elements. It is typically found in Georgian style architecture, where the hyphens form connections between a large central house and end pavilions in the Georgian five-part house, which was in turn derived from Palladian...
lead to other stone dependencies with office space and a modern kitchen.
History
The house's build date of 1700 comes from a statement by its owner in the late 1930s. He told the Daily FreemanDaily Freeman
The Daily Freeman is a seven-day-a-week morning newspaper in Kingston, New York, the Ulster County seat. Serving all of Ulster County and parts of three other counties in the Mid-Hudson Valley, the broadsheet publication has a weekday circulation of approximately 22,000.In addition to its Uptown...
, Kingston's newspaper, that the house had been built by that year. Its original owner, the first Van Steenburgh, was a man named Jan Janise, later Jansen Timmerman, from the Dutch town of Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
who assumed the Van Steenburgh name after he married in 1660.
His descendant Tobias Van Steenburgh was the owner of record at the time of the Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Why the house was not burned in 1777 is not known. Legend has it that it was the home of a Mrs. Hammersly, a woman with Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
sympathies, who was in love with a British officer who spared the house. Others have it that the British began to burn the house, but the order to withdraw
Withdrawal (military)
A withdrawal is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush...
was sounded soon after and slaves who were hiding in the nearby woods quickly extinguished what little fire there was after the troops left. A variant on that tale says that since the house was used as an inn at the time, the slaves rolled a barrel of rum they had tapped and treated the soldiers to free drink until the order came to leave.
The house remained in the Van Steenburgh family until the mid-19th century. In 1897, on the 120th anniversary of the burning, the local Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
chapter placed the plaque in the front wall. In 1930 local architect Henry Graiser built the rear addition, carefully designed to be sympathetic and non-intrusive to the original house. There have been no significant changes to the building since.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ulster County, New York