Van Cortlandt Manor is a 17th-century house and property built by the

van Cortland family The Van Cortlandt family was an influential political dynasty from the seventeenth-century Dutch origins of New York through its period as an English colony, then after it became a state, and into the nineteenth century. It rose to great promin ...

located near the confluence of the Croton and Hudson Rivers in the village of

Croton-on-Hudson Croton-on-Hudson is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 8,327 at the 2020 United States census over 8,070 at the ...

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

, United States. The colonial era stone and brick manor house is now a museum and is 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 ...

History

By Royal Charter, Van Cortlandt Manor was originally a tract granted as a Patent to

Stephanus Van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor' ...

in 1697 by

King William III William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the ...

, stretching from the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

on the west to the first boundary line between the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

and the

Colony of Connecticut The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

, on the east, twenty English miles in width by ten in height, in shape nearly a rectangular parallelogram, forming, "The Manor of Cortlandt." The massive holding was acquired by direct purchase from the Indians, in part, by

Stephanus van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor' ...

, a native born Dutch gentleman of New York, and in part by others whose titles he subsequently bought, this tract, together with a small tract on the west side of the Hudson River opposite the promontory of Anthony's Nose, which he also purchased from the Indians. The Manor House was built sometime before 1732 but was not any owner's principal residence until a grandson,

Pierre Van Cortlandt Pierre Van Cortlandt (January 10, 1721 – May 1, 1814) was an American politician who served as the first Lieutenant Governor of New York. He was first elected to the New York Assembly in March 1768 and served in that body as the representative ...

, moved there in 1749. At that time the manor house was on a portion of the original tract. Pierre brought his family to the estate in 1749 and created the manor's most vibrant days, according to some. He established a self-sustaining communityHall, Barbara. "Van Cortlandt Debate Marks Its 300th Year." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 18 Oct. 1997. Web, 24 Apr. 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/19/ny_region/van-cortlandt-debate-marks-its-300th-year.html. of an apple orchard, dairy farm, bee house, kiln, tavern, and carpenter and blacksmith shops. At this time, though, tensions leading to the Revolutionary War were building and the manor would become a place of wartime retreat. Pierre sided with the colonies and the manor was used to assist the Continental Army, using its resources to make food and supplies. Pierre was involved with military legislature, and his son Philip was a soldier for the Continental Army. Eventually Pierre and his family vacated the manor in the thick of the war. The manor was ransacked by the British Army and left in poor standing. Philip, becoming a brigadier general by the war's end, returned and, along with his sister, Catherine, brought the manor back to working order.Northshield, Lee. "Van Cortlandt Manor". Village of Croton-On-Hudson, NY. Web, 22 Apr. 2015, http://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/Public_Documents/CrotonHudsonNY_WebDocs/HistoricalSociety/VanCortlandtManor.Kléber, Louis C. "Van Cortlandt Manor". History Today 30.11 (1980): 62-63. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web, 24 Apr. 2015. Van Cortlandt Manor became an essential stop on the route from New York to Albany in the years that followed the war. The mills were once again thriving and provided the community and travelers with food, supplies, and lodging. Pierre and his wife did not return until 1803 once the manor was in full working order again. The manor was passed down in the family until it was sold to a non-relative, Otis Taylor, in 1945. By this time the property had lost luster, and was not the flourishing estate it had once been. Some buildings and barn houses were taken down to accommodate for more modern facilities, such as a drive-in movie theater. In 1953 John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased the property and began restoring the manor to previous prominence. In 1961, Van Cortlandt Manor became registered as a National Historic Landmark. The house is not included in the area of the hamlet of

Cortlandt Manor, New York Cortlandt Manor is a hamlet located in the Town of Cortlandt in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. Cortlandt Manor is situated directly east, north and south of Peekskill, and east of three sections of the Town of Cortlandt, ...

. It is one of the historic sites owned and operated by

Historic Hudson Valley Historic Hudson Valley is a not-for-profit educational and historic preservation organization headquartered in Tarrytown, New York. The organization runs tours and events at five historic properties in Westchester County, in the lower Hudson River ...

References

External links

* Official Site. ** * {{Authority control Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Historic house museums in Westchester County, New York Stagecoach stops in the United States

History

See also

References

External links