Barrytown, New York facts for kids

Former post office and general store at Barrytown

Barrytown is a small community, also called a hamlet, located in Dutchess County, New York, in the United States. It's part of the town of Red Hook. Barrytown is special because it's inside the Hudson River Historic District, which is a very important historical area. It's also home to four famous old estates: Edgewater, Massena, Rokeby, and Sylvania.

History of Barrytown

Rokeby Estate, also known as La Bergerie, River Road, Barrytown, Dutchess County

Edgewater

Barrytown got its name from William Taylor Barry. He was the Postmaster General for President Andrew Jackson from 1829 to 1835.

Most of the houses in Barrytown were built in the mid-to-late 1800s. Many of these homes were for people who worked on the large estates and farms nearby. Barrytown is about 109 miles (175 km) from New York City.

Famous Estates in Barrytown

Barrytown is known for its beautiful and historic estates. These are large, old homes with lots of land.

Massena Estate

Massena was once part of a huge property called Livingston Manor. John R. Livingston inherited land here. He built a grand house like a French castle. He named it "Massena" after André Massena, a famous military leader who worked for Napoleon.

Later, in 1860, a New York City merchant named John Aspinwall bought "Massena". His wife, Jane Aspinwall, built the Church of St. John the Evangelist in his memory. The original mansion burned down in 1885. Mrs. Aspinwall then built a new Victorian Gothic house.

Around 1929, the Brothers of the Christian Schools bought the Massena estate. They used it as a training center for teachers. This center closed in 1969. In 1975, the Unification Church bought the property. Their Unification Theological Seminary is located there today.

Edgewater Estate

In 1824, John R. Livingston gave the 250-acre Edgewater property to his daughter, Margaretta. After her husband died, she sold the estate in 1853. A New York financier, Robert Donaldson Jr., bought it. He hired a famous architect, Alexander Jackson Davis, to add an octagonal (eight-sided) library wing. Today, a special trust helps protect this historic home.

Sylvania Estate

Elizabeth Chanler Chapman was a great-granddaughter of William Backhouse Astor, Sr.. She grew up at "Rokeby" (another estate). In 1902, she bought "Edgewater". In 1905, she and her husband, John Jay Chapman, moved into a new house. This house was designed by architect Charles A. Platt. It was built on a hill above Edgewater and called Sylvania.

Rokeby Estate

Rokeby was started around 1811 by General John Armstrong Jr.. He bought the land from his father-in-law, Judge Robert Livingston. The Armstrong family raised sheep on the estate. Their daughter, Margaret, married William Backhouse Astor Sr.. In 1835, the Astors bought Rokeby and used it as a summer home.

Steen Valetje Estate

In 1844, Laura Eugenia Astor married Franklin Hughes Delano. As a wedding gift, William Astor gave them 100 acres of "Rokeby". This part became known as Steen Valetje, which means "little stone valley" in Dutch.

In 1849, the Astors and Delanos hired a gardener named Hans Jacob Ehlers. He improved the grounds at "Rokeby" and "Steen Valetje". He turned an old farm path into a beautiful woodland path. It was called the "Poet's Walk" to honor writers like Washington Irving and Fitz-Greene Halleck. Today, it is Poets' Walk Park, managed by Scenic Hudson.

The artist David Johnson, from the Hudson River School, painted a famous picture of the Hudson River from Barrytown in 1872.

Churches of Barrytown

Barrytown has two important historic churches.

Church of St. John the Evangelist

The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist was founded in 1874. Jane Moore Breck Aspinwall built it to remember her husband, John. The church was designed by William Appleton Potter.

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church

The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church was built for the Irish Catholic people working on the railroads and large estates. Before this church, they had to travel across the river for services. Sometimes they walked across the frozen river in winter!

The Donaldson family, who owned the Edgewater estate, donated the land for the church and cemetery. The church's first stone was laid on October 17, 1875. Sacred Heart was used until 1969. The building is now a private home.

Horseback riders in Barrytown in 1902, including FDR

Notable People from Barrytown

Many interesting people have lived in or visited Barrytown.

• The American architect Alexander Jackson Davis designed parts of the Edgewater estate. This included the octagonal addition and two octagonal gatehouses.
• The American writer John Jay Chapman lived in Barrytown. His wife, Elizabeth Chapman, owned the Edgewater estate for a time. They later built the Sylvania estate.
• During the 1950s, the famous writer Saul Bellow lived in Barrytown. He won the Nobel Prize for his books.
• The author and playwright Gore Vidal lived at the Edgewater estate from 1950 to 1969. He even ran for Congress from there! Eleanor Roosevelt helped him with his campaign.
• The reclusive film star Greta Garbo often visited Barrytown in the 1950s.
• The financier and preservationist Richard Jenrette lived at the Edgewater estate from 1969 until he passed away in 2018.
• The artist Gary Hill lived on Station Hill Road from 1977 to 1984.
• The classics scholar James Romm lives in Barrytown and teaches at Bard College.
• The author and critic Daniel Mendelsohn also lives in Barrytown.
• "Barrytown" is the name of a song by the band Steely Dan. The band's leaders, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, went to nearby Bard College.