Oliver Barrett House facts for kids
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Oliver Barrett House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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West elevation and north profile, 2008
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | North East, New York |
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| Nearest city | Hudson |
| Area | 11.8 acres (4.8 ha) |
| Built | 1853 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Queen Anne |
| Part of | Coleman Station Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 00001416 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 22, 2000 |
| Designated CP | cp |
The Oliver Barrett House is a historic farmhouse located in North East, New York. It was built around the mid-1800s. This house mixes two cool old building styles: Federal and Queen Anne.
The house was once owned by Oliver Barrett, a successful farmer. He was also the first postmaster of the small town of Coleman Station. The Oliver Barrett House is part of the Coleman Station Historic District. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. This means it's an important historical building worth protecting.
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Exploring the Oliver Barrett House and Its Land
The Oliver Barrett House sits on a pretty piece of land, about 11.8 acres (4.8 hectares). It's located near the bottom of a natural bowl-shaped area called Coleman Station. The land around it is gently rolling, with some big, old trees.
A small pond is behind the house, fed by a tiny stream. Across the stream, the land rises sharply to Hiddenhurst, another historic estate. Nearby, you can also see other old buildings. These include former worker homes from a dairy farm and the Victorian Arthur Peck House.
There are four important historical parts on the property. These are the main house, the spots where an old barn and silo used to be, and the site of the old post office. A garage built in 1989 is not considered historic.
Outside the Oliver Barrett House
The main part of the house is two stories tall. It has five sections, called "bays," on its front. It's built with strong, hand-cut wooden beams. The house sits on a foundation made of concrete and stone.
The outside walls are covered with weatherboarding, which are long, overlapping wooden planks. The roof is black asphalt and has a pointed shape at the ends, called a "gable." Two brick chimneys stick up from the roof.
A porch wraps around the front and side of the house. It has a wooden railing and a flat roof held up by round wooden columns. Steps lead up to the front door in the middle. Above the front door, at the roofline, is a triangular part called a "pediment" with a small window.
All the other windows are "double-hung sash" windows. This means they have two panes that slide up and down. They also have wooden shutters with slats, called "louvers."
Inside the Oliver Barrett House
When you enter the main door, you step into a wide hallway. The floor is made of wide oak wood strips. A big oak staircase leads upstairs. On the north side of the hall, there's a small living room, or "parlor."
Large double "pocket doors" slide into the walls to connect this room to a bigger parlor. Another small pocket door opens into a "mourning room." In these rooms, the oak floor strips are laid out in cool patterns of squares within squares. A brick fireplace with a wooden mantelpiece is in the parlor.
On the north side of the main hall, another room has a brick fireplace in the corner. This fireplace has an oak mantel and a mirror above it. The floor here is made of medium-width oak strips, which are original to the house.
On the south side of the central hall, more pocket doors lead to the dining room. There's also a small closet built into the wall paneling under the stairs. All the doors in the central hallway have raised panels and brass handles from the early 1900s.
The dining room has a unique floor with maple strips laid diagonally. It also has an oak and glass cabinet for dishes. An outside door with a glass window is on the south wall, with two large windows next to it.
Another door leads to the kitchen area. This area includes a bathroom and a pantry, which is now used as a laundry room. The floor here is made of large terra cotta tiles. An original staircase with a rounded pine handrail leads upstairs.
The second floor has a similar layout to the first, with a central hallway. This hallway turns towards the back to reach the stairs to the attic. There's a small kitchen area in one of the rooms upstairs. Many doors on this floor are original, and some even have their old "thumb latches." The floor is made of wide pine boards, most of which are original.
In the basement, you can see the original hand-cut wooden beams. Some beams under the front parlor are half-round with bark still on them. The walls in that part of the basement are stone with mortar, unlike the concrete in other areas. The heavy wooden doors between the basement rooms are also original.
History of the Oliver Barrett House
The story of the Oliver Barrett House is closely connected to how Coleman Station grew. It started as a quiet farming community and became a busy dairy center. The house's building and changes over time show how the community changed too.
Early Days: The Barrett Family Farms (1808–1853)
The Barrett family first came to Coleman Station in 1808. That's when Caleb Dakin sold 50 acres (20 hectares) of land to his son-in-law, Ezra Barrett. Ezra bought more land from other farmers, making his total land over 150 acres (61 hectares).
Oliver Barrett, born in 1819, was Ezra's youngest child. He grew up to be a very successful farmer. He became one of the biggest producers of milk in the area. In the late 1840s, the first railroad in New York, the New York and Harlem Railroad, was built through the area.
In 1853, a post office was opened in the area, which was then called Oblong. Ten months later, Oliver Barrett became its first postmaster. He held this job for 14 years. He was also a local "justice of the peace," which meant he helped with local laws and disputes.
Building the First House (1853–1915)
Oliver Barrett married Catherine Hornfager in late 1854. It's thought that the house was built sometime before their wedding. The house's first style, a mix of Federal and Greek Revival, suggests it was built before the American Civil War. It was common for a successful young farmer to build a new house for his bride.
Some parts of the house, like the corner fireplace on the first floor and the stone foundation, might be from an older building. Some people think a smaller house was moved to this spot and expanded.
A railroad station was built nearby in the late 1860s. This station helped the area become known as Coleman's Station. In 1872, the Post Office officially changed the name of the local office to Coleman's Station.
Oliver Barrett became postmaster again after the name change. His first wife had died, so he remarried Julia Elizabeth Pulver in 1874. His son, E. Lathrop Barrett, became the railroad's "station agent." Oliver Barrett stayed postmaster until he retired in 1892. He came out of retirement in 1895 and served until he passed away the next year.
In 1897, Oliver's daughter, Rhoda Louise Barrett, bought out her siblings' share of the family property. She sold a small piece of land across the street to Arthur Peck, a businessman. The agreement said he could build a house but not another tavern in Coleman Station.
Changes and New Uses (1915–Present)
Rhoda married Howard Schutt in 1898. Howard became postmaster in 1908 and held the job for ten more years. Around 1915, they made big changes to the house. Many of these changes were in the Queen Anne style, a popular Victorian style. The wraparound porch was added, and much of the inside was updated.
In the 1920s, the Schutts started selling off parts of the farm. Most of the land was sold to Sheffield Farms, a large company that bought many local farms. This company became one of New York City's biggest milk suppliers.
After Rhoda died in 1941, the farm and house were sold several times. At some point, the house was divided into three rental apartments. More land was sold, and the property stopped being a farm. The Coleman Station post office closed in 1954. The last barn and silo from the original farm burned down before 1970.
In 1986, new owners bought the house. They changed it back into a single-family home. In 1990, they added the mourning room fireplace and a third chimney. They also created the pond west of the house. No other changes have been made since then.
