Checkerboard Inn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Checkerboard Inn
|
|
Front (south) elevation and west profile, 2008
|
|
| Location | Monroe, NY |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Newburgh |
| Area | 0.39 acres (1,600 m2) |
| Built | ca. 1790 |
| Architectural style | Federal style |
| NRHP reference No. | 06001078 |
| Added to NRHP | November 29, 2006 |
The Checkerboard Inn is an old building in Monroe, New York. It was built a long time ago, in the late 1700s. People also called it the Forshee-Jenkins House.
At first, it was a home. But around 1802, it became an inn. This happened when the Orange Turnpike, an old road where people paid to travel, opened nearby. It's called the Checkerboard Inn because an early owner supposedly painted it like a checkerboard. This was to attract more travelers, but we don't know for sure if it was true.
Later, in the 1900s, a rich silk merchant named Moses Migel owned it. His family made it bigger to use as a vacation home. Today, the building is empty. It sits next to the Mansion Ridge Golf Club. Many different people have owned it over the years. The Town of Monroe now owns it. In 2006, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site. The town wants to fix it up. They hope to turn it into a museum about local history.
Contents
What Does the Checkerboard Inn Look Like?
The Checkerboard Inn is built on a gentle hill. From here, you can see the New York-New Jersey Highlands. You can even see the Shawangunk Ridge far away. A few trees surround the building on three sides. An old road used to run just to the east of the house.
Main Part of the Building
The oldest part of the house is one and a half stories tall. It has five sections, called bays. The outside walls are covered in aluminum, but underneath are old pine clapboards. The main door is in the middle of the front. It has a Federal style design. This means it has fluted pilasters (flat columns) that hold up a decorative top part.
The roof is gabled, meaning it slopes down on two sides. It is covered with asbestos-shingles. There are brick chimneys at each end of the roof. A porch that is falling apart is attached to the back of the house.
Wings and Inside Layout
Two parts, called wings, stick out from the main building. One wing goes to the west. It has one section by two sections. The other wing is a bit bigger and goes to the north. A flat area, like a terrace, is located between the two wings at the back.
Inside, the house has a main hallway in the center. There are fireplaces at each end of the house to keep it warm. The walls are made of plaster over lath. These walls were probably replaced over time. Most of the decorative wood trim is original. However, a bathroom and a cabinet were added in the 1900s. The basement of the house is not finished.
History of the Checkerboard Inn
The main part of the Checkerboard Inn was built between 1790 and 1810. A local farmer named Bernard Forshee built it. It was built in a simple, local style called vernacular architecture.
From Farmhouse to Inn
In 1802, the Orange Turnpike opened. This road passed right by the house. Parts of this old road are now Route 17 and Route 17M. A small piece of the old road is still visible near the house. A milestone (a stone marker for distance) that was once there has been stolen.
Local stories say that the house became an inn for travelers. It was just south of the village of Monroe, which already had many inns. So, Forshee supposedly painted his house in a black-and-white checkerboard pattern. This was to make it stand out and attract more customers.
New Owners and Changes
Bernard Forshee sold the inn to his son John in 1823. Ten years later, John sold it to Ira Jenkins. By this time, many of the early toll roads were losing money. They were becoming public roads again. It is thought that the house stopped being an inn around this time. But traces of the checkerboard paint were still visible in the 1900s.
In 1916, a rich silk merchant from New York City bought the property. His name was Moses Charles Migel. He bought the land to create his large farm, Greenbraes Farm. It was about 230 acres. Migel wanted to build a stone barn and a house nearby. This new house is now the Mansion Ridge Golf Club's clubhouse.
To build his new estate, Migel needed to move the road away from his property. This also helped make a steep hill into Monroe smoother. The Migels paid to have the road moved and rebuilt. Another person, Mary Harriman, gave them permission to use her land for the new road.
Later Additions and Future Plans
About 30 years later, in the late 1940s, Moses Migel's son Richard got married. The two wings were added to the house to make more room for Richard and his wife. A shed-style roof was also added to the back. These were the only big changes made to the house over time. The Migels wanted to keep the original wrought iron door handles and other metal parts. But by accident, these old metal pieces were melted down for scrap during the changes.
The Checkerboard Inn was a private home until the mid-1990s. Then, the last owners moved out. A developer bought the entire Migel Estate. They planned to build the Mansion Ridge golf course and homes. As part of the plan, the developer gave the Checkerboard Inn to the Town of Monroe. Three years later, the town started looking for money to fix up the inn. They hope to turn it into a museum about local history.
