Martin Van Buren National Historic Site facts for kids

Lindenwald Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. National Historic Site
Front of the house facing the Albany Post Road
Location in New York Show map of New York Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Town of Kinderhook, Columbia County, New York
Nearest city	Albany, New York
Area	125 acres (51 ha)
Built	1797
Architect	Peter Van Ness, Richard Upjohn
Architectural style	Federal; Gothic Revival
Visitation	13,617 (2004)
Website	Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
NRHP reference No.	66000510 (original) 12000406 (increase)
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Boundary increase	July 11, 2012
Designated NHL	July 4, 1961
Designated NHS	October 26, 1974

The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is a special place in Columbia County, New York. It's about one mile south of Kinderhook village. This site protects Lindenwald, which was the home of Martin Van Buren. He was the eighth President of the United States.

Van Buren bought this big house and its land in 1839 while he was still president. After his time as president ended in 1841, he moved to Lindenwald. It was his home and farm until he passed away in 1862.

Lindenwald's Story

Martin Van Buren was one of the people who helped start the Democratic Party. He bought Lindenwald, which included about 125 acres of land, for $14,000 in 1839. Even though he bought it then, he didn't move in until 1841. This was after he lost his bid for a second term as president to William Henry Harrison.

Van Buren's four sons, Abraham, John, Martin Jr., and Smith, all had rooms in the mansion. Before Van Buren owned it, the Van Ness family lived there. The famous writer Washington Irving wrote parts of his books A History of New York and Sketch Book at this house. Irving and Van Buren later became good friends.

Presidential Campaigns from Home

Martin Van Buren used Lindenwald as his base for two more tries at becoming president. In 1844, he tried to get the Democratic nomination again. He ran his campaign from Lindenwald but didn't win. James K. Polk became the nominee and then president.

In 1848, Van Buren ran for president as part of a new group called the Free Soil Party. He was against letting slavery spread into new areas of the country. He led this campaign from Lindenwald too. His campaign took enough votes away from the Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass. This helped the other candidate, Zachary Taylor, win the election.

The Name Lindenwald

Van Buren named his estate Lindenwald. This name means "linden forest" in German. He chose it because of the many American Linden trees that grew along the Albany Post Road. This road is still in front of the house today. Some of these replanted Linden trees are still there by the road.

Martin Van Buren died at Lindenwald on July 24, 1862. He was 79 years old.

Special Recognition

Lindenwald was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1961. This means it's a very important place in American history.

The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site was officially created on October 26, 1974. Today, the National Park Service takes care of Lindenwald. They help protect it and teach people about its history.

Visiting Lindenwald Today

You can find the site on Route 9H, about two miles south of Kinderhook, New York. The National Park Service has a visitor center there. You can only visit the Lindenwald mansion by taking a tour led by a park ranger. The tower part of the house cannot be visited for safety reasons.

Around the grounds, you'll find signs that share more about the history of Lindenwald. In Van Buren's time, there were also two small gatehouses. The one on the north side was taken down in the 1950s. However, you can still see its stone foundation today.

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