Name/Title
1948 Historic Colonial Homes Open to Visitors & 81st Bull PicnicEntry/Object ID
000502Tags
Bull Family, Bull PicnicScope and Content
Oct 10, 1948
NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE,
Historic Colonial Homes Open To Visitors In Orange County
Newburgh's Hasbrouck House, the Best Known,
Was Washington's Headquarters, and Has
the Original Colonial Furnishings
By Marjorie Dent Candee
[Column 1:]
NEWBURGH, N. Y.
Three old, stone houses in Orange County, built before 1750,
are open to the public and attract a steady stream of visitors. Two
of these, the Hasbrouck House, at Newburgh, and Knox Headquarters, four miles southwest of Newburgh, are administered by the
Department of Education of New York State. The third, known as
the "Stone House" of William Bull and Sarah Wells, is operated by
descendants of this couple, and is regarded as the oldest house in
Orange County, having been built in 1722. Visitors are welcome,
without charge, daily, except Sundays.
The best known, the Hasbrouck House, in downtown Newburgh,
at Liberty and Washington Streets, was the headquarters of General
Washington and his wife, "who arrived April 1st, 1782, in good
health." The house continued as headquarters until Aug. 19, 1783,
when with Washington's announcement of the end of hostilities, the army was disbanded, and the local encampment at Temple Hill was abandoned.
Visitors will be especially interested in seeing the large "room
of the seven doors and one window," which was used by the Commander-in-Chief as a dining room and reception room. His bedroom and connecting dressing room have the four-poster bed and original Colonial furnishings. The large room with its fireplace jutting out into the room (instead of recessed) was used by Washington as an office.
State Museum Adjacent to Headquarters is the
State Museum, which contains many Colonial costumes, letters of
Washington and personal items which belonged to him and his
wife, and an especially fine collection of china, including English
transferware, Canton, Lowestoft, pink lustreware, Castleford, Trux-
ton, Willoware, Staffordshire and Liverpool, and a collection of early
military arms, used for defense of the Hudson. Facing the river, and
in attractively landscaped grounds, is the Victory Tower commemorating
the heroes of the Revolution.
The Hasbrouck House was built in 1750, and one of two additions
in 1770. William Bull, noted stonemason of Orange County, used the
native fieldstone to build the early section, and he also built the house
occupied by General Henry Knox and General Gates, which may be
visited at New Windsor. It may be reached by following Route 9W
from Newburgh, then Route 45 to Vails Gate, and turning at the
large sign reading "General Knox's Headquarters." The sloping roof,
dormer windows and two large chimneys are characteristic of
houses built by William Bull. Another feature peculiar to Bull-
constructed houses is the absence of windows in the wall facing the
road. The front of each house faces south. This characteristic
doubtless made the houses warmer in winter. Another theory is that
owners were taxed according to the number of windows in their
homes, and still another theory is the scarcity of glass in those days.
According to the records the Knox house was built in 1754 for
the family of John Ellison. Visitors today find it easy to imagine
the lively parties in the field-stone house. Knox was one of
Washington's most trusted advisers, and he brought the artillery to a high
degree of efficiency. Officers met at this house and planned military
campaigns, and in the evenings their wives joined them to enjoy
the Knox hospitality, with supper and music. The names of three
local belles may still be seen, carved with a diamond, in the window panes.
Bull-Wells House Is Oldest
The oldest of these stone houses, the William Bull and Sarah Wells
home, built in 1722, attracts hundreds of visitors. Motorists may
reach it by taking Route 4 from the George Washington Bridge,
turning north to Route 17 to Goshen and following the Sarah
Wells Trail to Hamptonburgh, then turning right and follow the lane
to the Stone House. Sarah Wells was one of the first white women
to live in Orange County. Legend has it that she sailed from New
York City aboard a sloop, was met by friendly Indians at Newburgh
and traveled on horseback through the "wilderness" to join Christopher Denn and his wife at New Windsor, where William Bull stonemason, had just completed house for them. He had arrive from England in 1716 and, unable
to pay for his entire passage, he become indentured to the Dennis
who paid his debts and he, in turn built them a field-stone house a
Grey Court. On meeting the sixteen-year-old Sarah Wells, he fell
in love with her and they were married. In 1722 he began and in
1727 completed the house which has stone walls twenty-six inches
thick, fine oak beams, a spring under the stairs (so that young Sara
need not step outside in bad weather) and eight-foot-square
chimneys.
Each year, on the last Wednesday in August, descendants of the
Bulls (who had twelve children) meet at the house for a family
picnic. They finance the upkeep of the house and keep it and the
grounds in good condition. Many of the descendants have contributed items of furniture and china to the house, as well as family portraits, samplers and
other pre-Revolutionary articles. Some rare examples of china, salt-
glaze and majolica, are on view. Visitors will be especially interested to see a long crack in the outheast gable, now filled with mortar, caused, according to documents, by a severe earthquake which occurred in 1727, just after
William Bull had completed the house for his bride.
George Washington's headquarters at Newburgh
Goshen Republican Page 157. Aug 1948
Bull Clan at 81st Picnic Reelects All
[Column Text:]
Mrs. Elizabeth B. Green of Stony Ford again was distinguished as
the oldest guest at the annual Bull family picnic at the original
family seat, the stone house of 1722 in Hamptonburgh. Mrs. Green, a
sprightly 85, enjoyed the distinction. At the other end of the age
scale six-months old Nancy Baird, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer
S. Baird of Walden, accepted the designation of youngest at the
party with the universal complacency of babyhood.
Cadwell Tyler 2nd of Goshen, reelected president of the family
organization, announced the honors, including recognition for Miss
Sara D. Eager of Pomona, Cal., who had come the longest distance. The picnic, held August 25, was the 81st annual family gathering.
Reelected with Mr. Tyler were Miss Laura Craft of Chester, vice
president; Robert MacL. Jackson of Campbell Hall, secretary; and
E. Myron Bull of Tuxedo Park, acting treasurer. Bartow W. Bull
of Stony Ford was appointed to make picnic arrangements for
next year. Mrs. Tyler, Mrs. Louis Brown, resident of the ancestral
house, and Mrs. George H. Thompson of Goshen were named as
house committee, and upkeep of the property was assigned to
Hamlet S. Roe and Charles Johnson of Chester, and Henry P. Bull of Middletown.
Miss Craft, Mr. Roe and the Rev. Charles H. Thompson of
Thompson Ridge were elected to the board of managers.