Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop Homestead
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Aquinnah, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1890 |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000784 |
| Added to NRHP | September 6, 2006 |
The Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop Homestead is an old house in Aquinnah, Massachusetts, United States. It's located at 35 South Road. This house was built around 1890. It was the first home built by a member of the Vanderhoop family. This family is very important in Aquinnah's town government. They are also important in the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
This special house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Today, it is a museum called the Aquinnah Cultural Center. The museum teaches visitors about the history and culture of the Wampanoag tribe.
A Look Back: The Vanderhoop Family Home
The Vanderhoop family has a long history in Aquinnah. William Adrian Vanderhoop was born in 1816. He was the first Vanderhoop to move to what is now Aquinnah, Massachusetts. Back then, it was a reservation for the Wampanoags of Gay Head.
In 1837, William married a Wampanoag woman. They had many children. Their family members are still very important in the town and the tribe today. In 1869, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts started a process. They wanted to make Gay Head (now Aquinnah) an official town. This meant dividing the tribal lands among its members.
In 1890, William Vanderhoop bought a piece of this land for $40. He immediately gave it to his son, Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop. Edwin was a whaling captain, sailing on ships that hunted whales. He was also the first Wampanoag person to serve in the state legislature. The state legislature is a group of elected people who make laws for the state.
Edwin built the house on this land sometime between 1890 and 1897. The house still looks much like it did back then. Only small changes have been made over the years. Some other buildings on the property have been added or removed. Later, a non-profit group called the Aquinnah Cultural Center bought the house. They turned it into the cultural center and museum you can visit today.
What Does the House Look Like?
The Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop Homestead is on the far west side of Gay Head. It's about one mile (1.6 km) west of the town center. The house sits near the end of South Road. This road is the main way to get to Aquinnah from the rest of Martha's Vineyard.
The house is on a windy piece of land. From here, the land slopes sharply down towards the coast. You can see wide views of the ocean and Rhode Island Sound. There are no other buildings on the property right now, but there used to be.
The main part of the house has two large sections. They are built in the Cape style. This means they are usually small, rectangular homes with a central chimney. The two sections of this house are slightly offset from each other. Each section has its own chimney. It looks like both parts were built around the same time. It's even possible one section was built earlier and moved to this spot.
The northern part of the house is 24 feet long and 16 feet wide. It has three windows on the long side and two on the short side. A two-story entrance sticks out from the middle of the north side. There are porches on either side of this entrance.
The southern part of the house is 22 feet long and 16 feet wide. It has a single-story section sticking out from its south side. This southern part is about 5 feet away from the northern part.
Inside the house, the northern section has a living room and a parlor. A parlor is like a formal sitting room. The southern section holds the kitchen, pantry, and dining room. Upstairs, on the second floor, there are four bedrooms and a bathroom. The walls and ceilings throughout the house are made of plaster. The floors are painted pine wood. Not many changes have been made inside. A fireplace was added to the living room. Also, some doorways were made wider. These include the doors between the entry and living room, and between the living and dining rooms.
