Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is a unit of the United States

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

Columbia County, New York Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,570. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at th ...

, south of the village of Kinderhook, north of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and south of Albany. The National Historic Site preserves the Lindenwald estate owned by

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

, the eighth

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. Van Buren purchased the 36-room mansion during his presidency in 1839, and it became his home and farm from his leaving office in 1841 until his death in 1862.

History

Van Buren, a founder of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, purchased the home and approximately of land in 1839 for $14,000 (equal to $ today) while he was still president. However, Van Buren did not move into the home until 1841 (after he was defeated for his second term by the Whig candidate

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

in 1840). Eventually, his four living sons,

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, Martin Jr., and Smith, had rooms in the mansion. The home was previously owned by the Van Ness family and was where

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

wrote most of his books ''

A History of New York __NOTOC__ ''A History of New York'', subtitled ''From the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty'', is an 1809 literary parody on the history of New York City by Washington Irving. Originally published under the pseudonym Diedrich ...

'' and '' Sketch Book''. Irving and Van Buren later became friends. Van Buren ran two United States presidential campaigns from Lindenwald. In 1844, he based his ultimately unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination at the estate. That year, Van Buren lost a hotly contested fight to nominee and eventual President James Knox Polk. In 1848, in opposition to the extension of slavery into territories captured from Mexico as a result of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, Van Buren ran for president on a third-party ticket (The

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery int ...

), again directing his campaign from Lindenwald. Van Buren's campaign drew enough votes away from the Democratic nominee, Lewis Cass, to allow Whig candidate

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

to prevail. Van Buren named the estate Lindenwald, which is German for "linden forest", after the American Linden (American Basswood or ''

Tilia americana ''Tilia americana'' is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to ...

'') trees lining the Albany-to-New York Post Road, which is still located in front of the home. The section of the road on the property remains unimproved to this day. Some replanted Linden trees also remain by the side of the road. Van Buren died at Lindenwald on July 24, 1862. He was 79.

Recognition

Lindenwald was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1961. and The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site was established on October 26, 1974, and today, Lindenwald is under the care of the

Today

The site can be found on Route 9H, about south of Van Buren's hometown of Kinderhook, New York. A visitor center operated by the National Park Service is located at the site. Access to the Lindenwald mansion is by ranger-guided tour only. The tower cannot be visited due to fire safety codes. In addition, the grounds contain educational signs which tell of the history of the Lindenwald estate. During Van Buren's lifetime, the site also contained two gatehouses, a north one and a south one. The north gatehouse was demolished in the 1950s, but today the site is outlined with a stone foundation.

Gallery

File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Nelson E. Baldwin, Photographer Jan. 16, 1937, View-Southeast Elevation-Lindenwald Home of Martin Van Buren, Kinderhook, N.Y. - Lindenwald, HABS NY,11-KINHO.V,1-1.tif, 1937 File:Martin Van Buren, residence in Kinderhook, New York. LOC gsc.5a28121.jpg, 1961 File:Lindenwald NY1.jpg, 2017

References

External links

*
''Martin Van Buren's "Return to the Soil",'' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan

"Life Portrait of Martin Van Buren"
from C-SPAN's '' American Presidents: Life Portraits'', broadcast from the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, May 3, 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Buren, Martin National Historic Site National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Presidential homes in the United States National Historic Sites in New York (state) Historic house museums in New York (state) Museums in Columbia County, New York Presidential museums in New York (state) Houses in Columbia County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Columbia County, New York Protected areas established in 1974 1974 establishments in New York (state) Martin Van Buren Washington Irving