Upstate

A Columbia County Retreat Complete With Private Swimming Hole, Kinderhook Creek Views

If you are already dreaming of warm days and a summer packed with entertaining, this Columbia County property offers the allure of some Greek Revival charm, your own swimming hole and room for your guests to spread out in the outbuildings scattered across the waterfront property.

exterior of 66 county route 25a stuyvesant falls

by Susan De Vries

03/11/2022 0

While the property on the market at 66 County Route 25a in Stuyvesant Falls promises relaxing, lazy days, the early 19th century main residence on the property has ties to the mill history so integral to the small hamlet.

A grist mill is believed to be the first industrial structure built on the banks of the creek around 1801, and by 1842 the Gazetteer of the State of New York was describing Stuyvesant Falls as a “manufacturing village” with two cotton factories, a woolen factory, a grist mill, two saw mills and a paper mill. There were roughly 40 dwellings along with several taverns and stores.

Starting with a cotton mill in 1826, A. A. Van Alen & Company expanded its operations in the 1840s, running multiple mills along the creek. Some buildings associated with the Van Alen enterprise survive and are included in the Stuvesant Falls Mill District, listed on the National Register. This includes the Greek Revival residence on the market, which likely provided housing for a mill worker.

An 1873 map of Stuyvesant Falls shows the many buildings associated with the Van Alen enterprise. Map by D. G. Beers & Co. via New York Public Library

A map of 1873 shows the house perched near the falls and labelled as one of the many properties of A. A. Van Allen & Co. The three-bay-wide house with a classic Greek Revival door surround and a 1.5-story wing is now part of a six-acre property that doesn’t include a working mill but, according to the property map in the listing, does have the remnants of a mill foundation. There is also a guest house built in 1971, two barns, an equipment shed and a workshop in addition to the private swimming hole.

The house was purchased in 2016 from the estate of the longtime owners, the exterior restored and the interior renovated into a four bedroom and 2.5 bathroom home.

exterior of the house — The house in 1973 when it was surveyed for inclusion in the Stuyvesant Falls Mill National Register District. Photo by Paul G. Schneider, Jr. via New York State Historic Preservation Office

Remaining are the richly patinaed wide plank floor boards which glow warmly in contrast to the mostly all white walls and trim throughout the house. On the first floor, a living room with a wood stove set into a brick fireplace is in the main section of house along with two rooms, both with access to a rear deck, that could serve as offices or additional guest space.

Kitchen and dining are in the wing and have a modern farmhouse vibe with a white-painted brick fireplace, a porcelain kitchen sink with built-in drainboards, white cabinets and open shelving.

Upstairs are two large and one rather petite bedroom and a full bath. The final bedroom is in the upper story of the wing, and it was turned into a cozy retreat with painted floors, wood-clad walls and a platform bed to match.

Should you wish to keep your guests at a distance, the 1970s guest house is generously sized with three bedrooms and 1.5 baths. The white finishes and wood floors (although not wide planked) repeat here and there is another wood-burning stove in the living room.

In addition to the amenities of the property itself, it is located near the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail, a 36-mile trail that runs from Rensselaer to Hudson along the route of a electrified rail line that operated from 1900 to 1929.

It is also less than a 30-minute drive south to Hudson and Metro-North service into the city.

Listed with Kelcey Otten of Compass, the property is priced at $1.1 million.