Woodlawn Farm (Slate Hill, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Woodlawn Farm
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South (front) elevation and
west profile of main block, 2008 |
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| Location | Slate Hill, NY |
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| Nearest city | Middletown |
| Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
| Built | ca. 1790 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 08000277 |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 2008 |
Woodlawn Farm, also known as the Wood Homestead, is a historic house near Slate Hill, New York, United States. It's a large farmhouse made of three connected parts. Some parts of the house date back to the mid-1700s. This makes it one of the oldest buildings in the Town of Wawayanda. In 2008, Woodlawn Farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the years, the house has been changed and updated many times. These changes include adding styles from the 1800s. Different families have lived in the house for a long time, including the family of the first builder. Many people who lived here were important in local government. Because of this, Woodlawn Farm has played a big part in the history of Slate Hill.
Contents
Exploring the Farmhouse and Its Buildings
The main farmhouse at Woodlawn Farm is actually three buildings joined together. Each part was built at a different time.
The Main House Section
The part closest to the road is the main section. It has two and a half stories and a pointed roof. This section is covered with wooden siding called clapboard. It also has a porch that wraps around the front and side. All the windows have shutters. The main section's windows are larger than those on the other two parts of the house. The roof has special cement-asbestos shingles and a brick chimney.
Inside, the main section has a layout that was popular in the late 1700s. Some decorations, like the woodwork, show the Greek Revival style. This style was added during a big renovation around that time.
The Middle and East Sections
The middle and east sections are smaller. They are two stories tall and have flat asphalt roofs. They get shorter in height as you move away from the main section. Another chimney rises from the east section, which is now used as a kitchen. A chimney on the middle section has been mostly taken apart.
The middle section is thought to be the oldest part of the house. It has open areas and a cooking fireplace, which were common in the late 1700s. A library and a special window that sticks out (called a bay window) were added in the 1800s. The upstairs of this section has bedrooms.
The east section is the smallest and newest part. It serves as the kitchen. A large brick wall separates it from the cooking areas in the middle section. The upstairs of the east section is not finished.
Other Important Buildings
Two other buildings on the farm are also important to its history. There is a large barn with a pointed roof located near the carport. There is also a small outdoor toilet, called a privy, with a pointed roof, a four-paneled door, and special siding.
A Look Back: The Farm's Story
People in the area used to believe the middle part of the house was built in 1765. However, the wooden beams found in the basement and the way the house was built suggest it was actually built around 1790. Richard Wood was the first known person to live in the house, starting in 1772. His house was used for early meetings of the nearby Primitive Baptist Church of Brookfield. The church building was built in 1792, and the main part of the house was likely added around that time.
Some of the building materials in the house might be older than the house itself. In 2002, during a recent renovation, old wooden beams were found under the bathroom floor in the middle section. These beams looked like they were from older houses on Long Island. It seems they were reused from a building that existed before. No records or signs of an earlier building have been found on the property.
Owners and Their Contributions
In 1796, Festus Webb, a local official, bought the house from Richard Wood. Webb lived there for 40 years. During his time, the Greek Revival style was added to the main part of the house.
After Webb, Roswell Mead bought the property. He lived there until he passed away in 1850. Mead was very active in local government. He served as a town supervisor, a New York State Assemblyman, and a town justice.
In 1867, Mead's wife and son sold the farm to William Wood, who was Richard Wood's grandson. William Wood also owned the house for over 20 years. He was also a supervisor in local politics for 14 years. It is believed that he added the east wing to the house, which has Italianate design elements. In 1888, he built the current barn after the original one burned down.
William Wood also started other businesses besides farming. He built a dam on a nearby stream to create Crescent Lake, which is now drained. He also built a gristmill (for grinding grain), an ice house, and the Springbrook Hat Factory. He used wild teasel plants from his fields to prepare wool for making hats. These buildings are no longer there, but old photographs show they existed.
In 1900, William transferred the property to his daughter, Minnie. Under her ownership, the land became more valuable for selling than for farming. She divided the property into 18 smaller lots. This reduced the family's land to the 20 acres around the house that we see today.
Minnie's son, LeRoy, inherited the farm when she died in 1945. A year later, he sold it to Dr. Frank Myers Jr.
Dr. Myers lived at Woodlawn until 1986. He was also very involved in the community. He led the Department of Medicine at Horton Memorial Hospital in Middletown for 22 years. He was also the town's health officer and helped start the Minisink Valley Central School District. His son and daughter-in-law have lived at Woodlawn Farm since then.
The Farmhouse's Unique Look
The original parts of the Woodlawn Farm house show how English settlers built homes in the mid-1700s. The middle section's shape is common in older houses in Orange County built by English families. Most of these older homes were expanded with only one extra part, or a bay or two. The two separate sections that were added later and changed a lot show how architectural styles changed over time. They also show the changing tastes of wealthy landowners in the area.
