History

The Garretson homestead stands on a portion of land, called the Slooterdam Patent, that was deeded to David Daniellse in 1708 by King George of England. Peter Garretson, whose grandparents and father emigrated to America in 1660, purchased the property from Daniellse in 1719. The house was built shortly after.

The house is an example of Dutch Colonial architecture, originally built one and one-half stories high of rubble and undressed stone. The current kitchen wing is considered by most to be the oldest part of the homestead, featuring a jambless fireplace typical of Flemish design of the late 1600s. On a late nineteenth-century photograph of the house, remnants of a brick beehive oven can be seen on the outer wall.

In 1760, the larger section of the house was built using dressed stone. It was under this section that fragments of clay pipes (c. 1720) were uncovered.

Extensive renovations were made to the house in 1902. The present gambrel roof replaced a steep gable roof; a front door was replaced with a window; an inner stairway to the basement replaced cellar hatches. A large center Victorian stairway to the second floor was also built and the open-hearth fireplaces were enclosed in the Victorian style. A large pillared porch was also added.

An early nineteenth century carriage house still stands on the property along with a large barn and several smaller outbuildings, the oldest of which is a small wooden structure built circa 1800 in the Dutch barn style.