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Martin Van Buren
National Historic Site
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is found in Kinderhook,
New York. The Eighth President of the United States, Martin Van
Buren purchased the estate in 1839 during his Presidency.
Martin Van Buren was born in Kinderhook in 1782, the last year
of the American Revolution. He lived until July 1862, sixteen
months into the American Civil War. During the seventy-nine years
of his life, he was instrumental in the establishment of many
of the political practices and party politics which saw the new
nation from its inception to its trial by ordeal.
The estate grew to 220 acres under his direction and was a profitable
working farm. Van Buren developed this estate as a working example
of his political views based on Jeffersonian principles of democracy.
The Van Buren mansion, Lindenwald as he named it,
is the Site's centerpiece and became a National Historic Landmark
on July 4, 1961. Public Law 93-486 established Martin Van Buren
National Historic Site on October 26, 1974, ". . . to preserve
for the benefit and inspiration of the people of the United States
of America."
This was the home to which the "Little Magician" retired
at the end of his administration and spent the last twenty-one
years of his life as an elder statesman, political advisor and
gentleman farmer. Other than the White House, this early Gothic/Italianate
mansion is the only known surviving structure intimately associated
with Martin Van Buren, the first President born with United States
citizenship as his birthright.
The Site's nomination for the National Register of Historic
Places highlights Lindenwald's architectural merit. Originally
built in 1797 as a commodious Federal house, Van Buren substantially
remodeled the house in 1849 in a Gothic/Italianate style. Van
Buren hired the famous 19th century architect Richard Upjohn to
remodel the house with modern technological features such as indoor
plumbing and central heating.
The thirty-six room Lindenwald mansion is one of the
two surviving examples of Richard Upjohn's domestic Italianate
architecture still standing. The site has several significant
archaeological sites, dating from the Late Woodland period through
the nineteenth century.
The Site's museum collection encompasses more than 21,000 cataloged
items. These include fine art, historic wallpaper in situ, the
largest collection of historic wallpaper samples in the National
Park System, furniture, textiles, household furnishings, archival
and archaeological objects. Most of the furnishings exhibited
within the historic house have documented provenance to Martin
Van Buren's tenure at Lindenwald .
Although the park presently encompasses 38.50 acres, much of
the cultural landscape and adjacent lands are conservation land.
Some of the conservation land is open to the public. Most of the
adjacent lands retain a very high degree of integrity to the period
of of President Van Buren's residence. This serves to add environmental
and historic context to the life and lifestyle of Martin Van Buren.
BEFORE GOING ON ANY ADJACENT LANDS PLEASE SPEAK TO A PARK RANGER.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Please write: Superintendent, Martin Van Buren National Historic
Site, 1013 Old Post Road, Kinderhook, NY 12106 or telephone, 518-758-9689,
or E-mail Information, Martin
Van Buren National Historic Site (MAVA_Info@nps.gov).
Monday, 14-Apr-03 17:10:12
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