Cherry Hill (Albany, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cherry Hill
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The south and east sides of the house, photographed in 2011.
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Albany, NY |
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| Area | 1 acre (4,000 m2) |
| Built | 1787 |
| Architect | Isaac Packard (builder) |
| Architectural style | Dutch Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000517 |
| Added to NRHP | February 18, 1971 |
Cherry Hill is a historic house on South Pearl Street in Albany, New York. It was built in 1787, making it a very old example of a timber-frame building. In 1971, it was one of the first places in Albany to be added to the National Register of Historic Places, a list of important historic sites in the United States.
The house was built for Colonel Philip Kiliaen van Rensselaer and his wife, Maria Sanders. For a time, it was the home of Solomon van Rensselaer, a relative who served in the U.S. Congress. The house was the center of a large farm.
Over the years, Cherry Hill became famous for several reasons. The Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution, stayed there during a visit to the U.S. A sad event that happened at the house in 1827 became a well-known story across the nation. Some people also believe the house is haunted.
The Van Rensselaer family lived in Cherry Hill for almost 200 years. They kept everything, including the original furniture, dishes, and family papers. Today, the house is a historic house museum run by the Historic Cherry Hill Association. It is being carefully restored because the weight of all the historic items inside was making the building unsafe.
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About the Cherry Hill House
The house is in the southern part of Albany. It sits on a small hill, giving it a nice view of the Hudson River. The building is a large, rectangular house made of wood, with two-and-a-half stories. It has a stone foundation and is covered in clapboards (long, overlapping wooden boards).
The main entrance is in the center of the front of the house and has a porch that runs the full width of the building. The windows are a six-over-six style, meaning each sash has six small panes of glass. The roof is a special type called a gambrel roof, which has two slopes on each side. This style was common in Dutch Colonial homes. Two brick chimneys stand at the top of the roof.
History of the House and Family
In 1768, Philip Kiliaen van Rensselaer married Maria Sanders. Both came from important families in Albany. At that time, Albany was a small city. Philip was a merchant who sold goods from the West Indies and shipped local farm products down the Hudson River.
During the American Revolutionary War, Philip helped the American cause. He was in charge of storing military supplies. After the war, in 1787, he hired a carpenter named Isaac Packard to build the house we see today on his farm, which he named Cherry Hill. The house mixed English Georgian style with the traditional Dutch roof.
By 1790, the farm was nearly 1,000 acres. Philip van Rensselaer died in 1798, but his wife and children continued to live at Cherry Hill.
A Famous Visitor and a Sad Event
One of Philip's sons, Solomon Van Rensselaer, became a well-known public figure. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and was also Albany's postmaster. In 1824, he welcomed the Marquis de Lafayette to Cherry Hill. Lafayette was a French general who had helped America win the Revolutionary War, and he was touring the country as a celebrated hero.
Just three years later, in 1827, a very serious incident occurred in the house that shocked the public. The story of what happened at Cherry Hill drew attention from all over the country.
Changes Over Time
The Van Rensselaer family was once one of the wealthiest in the region, but their fortune began to decline. The rise of factories and railroads brought new, wealthy families to Albany. The city grew larger, and by 1872, the land around Cherry Hill was no longer countryside. Albany officially made the area part of the city.
Even as the city grew up around it, the family worked to preserve the house. Catherine Putman Rankin, a cousin of the Van Rensselaers, and later her daughter Emily, took care of Cherry Hill through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They made sure the house and its history were protected.
Cherry Hill as a Museum Today
When Emily Rankin died in 1963, her will stated that the house should become a museum. This happened in 1968. The museum's collection is amazing because it contains everything the family owned. There are 20,000 objects, like original furniture and dishes, and 30,000 historic documents from the family's papers.
By the 2000s, the house was in danger. The huge collection, mostly stored in the attic, was so heavy that the building's frame was under great strain. In 2009, Cherry Hill closed for a major restoration project to save the historic structure. The project has been carefully taking the house apart, restoring each piece, and putting it back together. While the main house is being worked on, the Historic Cherry Hill Association offers special tours to show the public the restoration process.
See also
- List of reportedly haunted locations in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany, New York
