Kingston in Ulster County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Evolution of the Senate House
Senate House State Historic Site
Wessel Ten Broeck, a Dutch immigrant to New York, built and owned what would become the Senate House. Although only portions of his 1676 house remain, Ten Broeck’s residence was probably a modest stone house with a steep gabled roof facing the street in the Dutch style. The house passed through the family to Sarah Ten Broeck, who married local businessman Abraham van Gaasbeek in 1751.
After the British attacked and burned Kingston in 1777, Van Gaasbeek made repairs to his damaged house. It was altered a number of times in the 19th century to reflect the prosperity and changing needs of the Van Gaasbeeks. The family retained ownership of the property until 1887, when New York State purchased it as its second historic site.
Location. 41° 56.104′ N, 74° 1.121′ W. Marker is in Kingston, New York, in Ulster County. Marker can be reached from Clinton Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is on the grounds of the Senate House State Historic Site, on the south side of the house. Marker is in this post office area: Kingston NY 12401, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Senate House (a few steps from this marker); Old Stockade 1658 (within shouting distance of this A Community Attic (within shouting distance of this marker); Senate House Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); A Radical Idea: Government by the People (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Senate House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Loughran House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Stockade Historic District (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kingston.
More about this marker. A photo of the inside of the present Senate House appears at the top of the marker. It has a caption of “The Senate House is furnished to the period when Abraham van Gaasbeek offered it as a meeting place for the New York Senate.” Next to this is a layout of the house showing the different phases of its expansion. The caption reads “This plan of the Senate House foundations identifies the periods of the building’s construction and expansion.
Photos along the bottom of the marker show the Senate House as it appeared in 1883, 1890 and
1883 The 19th-century clapboard additions and columned porches at the north and south ends were removed in 1887;
1890 The large stone porch and wing were added as caretaker’s quarters in 1887;
1970 Further renovations occurred between 1948 and 1962. In 1976, the state replaced the copper roof, seen in this photograph, with a more appropriate cedar shingle roof.”
Also see . . .
1. Senate House State Historic Site. New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation website. (Submitted on July 13, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.)
2. Senate House. National Park Service website. (Submitted on July 13, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.)
Categories. • Colonial Era • War, US Revolutionary •
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on July 13, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 267 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 13, 2012, by Bill Coughlin of North Arlington, New Jersey.