The Nathan Wild House is an historic building in

Valatie Valatie (; ) is a village with several waterfalls in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,819 at the 2010 census. The village is at the center of the town of Kinderhook on US 9. History Valatie was first named ''Pach ...

, Columbia County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Built by Nathan Wild, a prominent local figure, in 1826, the original

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

-style building was continually expanded throughout the years as the Wild family's

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

s in the area flourished. The residence was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1991 as a result of its historical and architectural significance.

Description

The Nathan Wild House is located on Main Street ( New York State Route 203) in the village of Valatie, south of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. It is situated on a lot, which extends a full block. The house itself faces southward toward the road. It was built as a two-story, wood-frame

-style structure and eventually expanded using

Italianate architecture The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

. Several wings were added onto the residence after its initial construction, as well as a ballroom, which was built before 1873 off the west wing. A porch is located on the front facade, and a small back porch was added to the main section around 1850. The building's interior does not contain much of its original detail as a result of extensive remodeling at the same time. Since the home was profiled in ''History of Columbia County, New York'' (1873) by Franklin Ellis, it has not undergone any major changes.

History

Shortly after 1800, Nathan Wild and his brother James moved from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

to the United States. After his employment at the

Slater Mill Historic Site The Slater Mill is a historic water-powered textile mill complex on the banks of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, modeled after cotton spinning mills first established in England. It is the first water-powered cotton spinning mil ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, he migrated to Columbia County, where he was contracted by the Columbia Manufacturing Society to oversee the construction of a cotton mill. By the 1820s, Columbia County's economy relied significantly upon cotton and wool production. ''See also:'' Ultimately, four years later, he built a new mill, using the first

power loom A power loom is a mechanized loom, and was one of the key developments in the industrialization of weaving during the early Industrial Revolution. The first power loom was designed in 1786 by Edmund Cartwright and first built that same year. ...

s in New York State. Another mill was built on the same property nearly 20 years later, and collectively, the

Wild's Mill Complex Wild's Mill Complex (also known as Valatie Mill Complex) was among the last remaining industrial buildings in the formerly thriving milling community of Valatie, Columbia County, New York, United States. It was located southeast of the intersecti ...

had 12,800 spindles and 175 workers. The last remaining structure on the complex was demolished around 1986. In 1826, Wild built a residence, where he, his wife and his nine children lived. The textile business expanded, and as a result of his wealth, local prominence as one of the founders of Valatie, and growing family, he added to the home and redesigned it. The home gained its modern-day appearance in the 1870s, and it was owned by the Wild family until 1978. The property is both historically and architecturally significant; its design is reminiscent of Valatie's milling era. It was listed on the

in 1991, and as of 2000 it was being considered for inclusion within the related Register listing for Wild's Mill Complex. Currently the Nathan Wild House has been restored to a private home, after several years' operation as a bed and breakfast.

References

Valatie the forgotten history by Dominick lizzi

External links

Images of the house
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild, Nathan, House Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Federal architecture in New York (state) Italianate architecture in New York (state) Houses completed in 1826 Houses in Columbia County, New York Bed and breakfasts in New York (state) 1826 establishments in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Columbia County, New York