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Historic Hudson Offers a Tour of. . .Claverack?
Before the town we now know as Hudson, New York was formed, the area by the river was called Claverack Landing, and it was a whaling port teeming with sailors and sin. Fortunately, all this lurid conduct took place at a seemly remove from the respectable town of Claverack proper, an early Dutch settlement that by the 18th century was already well-established and prosperous.
This 200-hundred-year-old connection between the two, long-separated municipalities is Historic Hudson’s justification for holding its 3rd annual Old House Tour this Saturday, October 18, in Claverack. Any organization with a stake in history can be forgiven for using any excuse to offer up the old houses of Claverack, which are among the most distinguished in our region. Happily, many of the best, including the Dr. William Bay house (circa 1780, pictured above) on the main street (Route 23B), will be on the tour.
Many house tours promise historic significance; this one delivers. Of the eight structures on tour, six were built in the 18th century, and of the later ones, Brookbound (right), a second Empire manor, is the “newest,” having been completed in 1878. Others include the Cornelius Miller House, a Dutch-style brick house built in 1767; the Stephen Hogeboom house, a Georgian house built in 1784 and refitted in 1854 in the Greek Revival style; and Miller’s Crossing, an Adam-style Federal house constructed in 1818. Docents at each property will provide color and context.
For diehards whose appetite for historic structures is still not sated even after eight properties (or who simply wish to show additional support for Historic Hudson’s many worthy projects, including preservation of the Plumb-Bronson house on the grounds of the Hudson Correctional Facility), the day ends with a benefit reception at Talavera, a Clavarack country property known to many apple-picking enthusiasts as the house at Philip Orchards. As recently noted in Rural Intelligence, this house has been passed down, barely changed since its completion in 1816, through generations of the family that built it. Portraits of forebears adorn faded but stain-free walls last papered, for all appearances, in the 1940s. It is a rare privilege to be permitted inside.
Historic Hudson Old House Tour & Benefit
Saturday, October 18, 10 - 5; benefit 6 - 8; 518.828.1785
Tickets and maps: Reformed Dutch Church, Route 9H (north of Rte. 23), Claverack.
Admission: tour, $35; benefit, $60.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 10/13/08 at 10:32 AM • Permalink
