Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site, in the town of New Windsor in Orange County,

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

, consists of the Georgian house of the Ellison family, built in 1754 by immigrant William BullE. M. Ruttenber, "Historic Homes in Orange County," ''Historical Papers'' XI, (Newburgh, NY: Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands, 1904), 69 of Hamptonburgh, NY, and the grounds around it. The site is located on Old Forge Hill Road, just south of Route 94 east of Vails Gate. Although most closely associated with

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806) was an American military officer, politician, bookseller, and a Founding Father of the United States. Knox, born in Boston, became a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionar ...

, who used it as his headquarters as the Revolutionary War drew to a close in the early 1780s, it was used as a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

's headquarters throughout most of the war, by

Nathanael Greene Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...

and

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He took credit for the Ameri ...

. The site was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1972. and While owned by the

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation and h ...

the Ellison House is administered and operated by the

Palisades Interstate Park Commission The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey. The Palisades, a N ...

, like many other state parks and historic sites in the mid and lower Hudson region. Today, the house can be toured when the site is open. It is used to educate visitors about how 18th-century families such as the Ellisons actually lived. On holidays and special occasions staff dress in reproduction period clothing and give special events. Staff dressed as the 2nd Continental Artillery frequently demonstrate cannon use on the grounds during special events, as Knox was best known for his command of Continental

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. The house and its grounds were the setting and subject of the children's haunted-house novel ''Buried Treasure: A Tale of an Old House'' (1919), by the best-selling children's author Henry Everett McNeil. The book is illustrated with McNeil's own photographs (made circa 1911 or 1912) of the various buildings and bridge at the Knox site. The

Jane Colden Jane Colden (March 27, 1724 – March 10, 1766) was an American botanist,Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435 described as the "first botanist of her sex in her country" by ...

Plant Sanctuary along some of the trails in the nearby woods memorializes America's first female

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, who also resided in the area. Stone Bridge at Knox Headquarters

References

External links

Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site (Official site)
{{Authority control Houses completed in 1754 New York (state) in the American Revolution New York (state) historic sites National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, New York Tourist attractions in Orange County, New York Palisades Interstate Park system American Revolutionary War sites Georgian architecture in New York (state) New Windsor, New York National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Museums in Orange County, New York Houses in Orange County, New York Historic house museums in New York (state) Living museums in New York (state) American Revolutionary War museums in New York (state) 1754 establishments in the Province of New York Buildings and structures in New Windsor, New York

See also

References

External links