Luykas Van Alen House
Built c. 1737 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967, the Luykas Van Alen house is recognized as one of the best examples of fewer than a dozen historically intact Dutch Colonial houses in the Hudson Valley.
Located on rural land once used by native Mohican peoples for hunting and seasonal camping, the house was the center of a prosperous farm and home to several generations of the Van Alen family.
Location: 2589 NY-9H, Kinderhook, NY 12106
Admission:
Suggested donation of $10
Free for children, students, active military & family with current ID, and CCHS Members.
...one of the most authentic examples of early Dutch architecture remaining in the United States.
The last Van Alen descendant to live in the house, Maria Van Alen Herrick, died in 1935. The house was purchased in 1938 by William Van Alen, a descendant of Luykas’ brother, Johannes. In 1964, unable to undertake extensive restorations himself, William generously donated the house to Columbia County Historical Society.
Today, the property encompasses 33 acres and in addition to the house includes the c. 1850 Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse, Early Heritage Narrative Walk and Dutch Farming Heritage Trail, which connects the Luykas Van Alen House to Martin Van Buren’s Lindenwald.
Discover the many lives that intersected at this rural property, including native Mohicans, Dutch settlers, enslaved African Americans and the writer Washington Irving, whose short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” may have been partially inspired by the house.
WATCH: Architect John B. Murray gives a tour of the Luykas Van Alen House for Classicist.org
Also On Site
Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse
Visit this c. 1850 Kinderhook school to learn about one-room schoolhouse education in the 19th century and the literary lore that gives the school its name.
Dutch Farming Heritage Trail
Explore the farmlands of Kinderhook’s early Dutch settlers on this 1.7-mile walking trail linking the Luykas Van Alen House to Martin Van Buren’s Lindenwald.
Early Heritage Narrative Walk
This permanent outdoor exhibition explores the multifaceted history of Columbia County through nine interpretive panels.
Land Acknowledgement
Our sites are located on ancestral lands of the Muh-He-Con-Neok, “the People of the Waters that Are Never Still”. Called Mohicans by the English, these people are now officially known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. They have a rich and illustrious history which has been retained through oral tradition and the written word.
