Jean Hasbrouck House
A home can contain countless material stories, but what about the story of a house itself? The Jean Hasbrouck House, located on Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, New York carries its own history through the rich stone structure that forms the house. This stone buries itself deep into the history of New Paltz and its surrounding towns, demonstrating architectural practices, class difference, and resilience in the name of Dutch tradition.
Description
The stone foundation of the Jean Hasbrouck House is comprised of many heavy stones of different sizes and shapes. Some stones are longer and skinner, while others are larger and wider. These thicker, larger stones are mainly placed in the corners of the foundation to give the house a strong and reliable structure. The skinner, longer stones are spread throughout the sides of the foundation. From looking at this house, the stones are not placed in a perfect line. This is due to their variance in shape, which differs from drawn diagrams found in architectural records. These stones, from a glance, appear to be sealed together using some sort of clay which has hardened into a gray-white color. In some areas of the foundation, these stones exhibit different shades of gray and brown and make up walls that are two feet thick. The stone itself is rough and rigid to the touch, especially on the corners of the foundation.
Provenance
The stone foundation of the Jean Hasbrouck house dates back to the early 18th century, estimated to have been built between 1712 and 1720. The original stonemason and laborers who created this foundation are unknown, however, it is known that to create and build other aspects of the house, many laborers were needed, primarily composed of those volunteering and enslaved. The original owner of the house was Jean Hasbrouck. While he had died in 1714, before the whole house had been built, there was some evidence of his original dwelling, which included a fireplace, as well as its south and west walls.
From here, this house was passed down to his son Jacob Hasbrouck, who concluded the general construction of the house. Jacob then passed the house down to his son, Jacob Hasbrouck Jr. around 1761. Josiah Hasbrouck was next in line, modernizing the house around 1786. After Josiah died in 1821, the Tenant Era began between 1822-1886. During this time, Levi Hasbrouck rented out the home to tenants, but it was still owned by the Hasbroucks. The last Hasbrouck to own this house was Josiah Hasbrouck, Levi’s son. After the second Josiah, Jesse Elting bought the house in 1886, rented it to a tenant family, and eventually ended up selling it to Historic Huguenot Street in 1899.
Narrative
Though a home’s objects contain historical, material, and cultural depths, it’s quite rare that an actual building is analyzed through this lens. The Jean Hasbrouck House, still standing after over three hundred years, speaks beyond its stony exterior; it reveals a history of architectural prosperity for the Huguenots from the very building materials to the affluent Dutch-influence that sustained its roots even after English settlement.
This limestone foundation was often the preferred material used in building stone houses throughout New Paltz, as it was relatively easy to quarry and dress. This meant that it was easier to harvest, surface and shape than many other stone materials during this time. There are numerous outcroppings of limestone in Kingston, Hurley and Marbletown, which allowed for easier collection from field and homestead sites rather than importing stone from more remote areas. Additionally, the stones were bound together using clay dug from pits along the Wallkill River, and the exterior joints were sealed together using hard lime mortar.
With steady access to its needed materials, stone houses became a staple structure in Ulster County. However, these stone houses represent much more than just a type of foundation and relationships between neighboring towns. Stone houses were staples of wealth and upper-class status. (Crawford and Stearns 13). The reason that New Paltz could afford to house many stone structures was due to the economic and social composition of its landowners, the Huguenots. As families such as the Hasbroucks established their wealth in Ulster County, they built these large stone homes as a statement of their influence within the local economy, community and its politics.
In the latter half of the 18th century, New Paltz began to grow and diversify in terms of its economy as well as its culture. This also meant that the town’s structures followed suit. The buildings in New Paltz around 1798 ranged in value from $1900 to 25 cents, where stone houses cost much more than wood and log houses (Crawford and Stearns 13). These log and wood houses belonged to the other ethnic groups and individuals of lower economic status compared to the Huguenots. Additionally, as English settlers of the colonial period began to make their way up the Hudson River, they brought their own culture and class to the area. Stone houses as a result took on an additional meaning of the sustained Dutch roots in the area. The continued construction of these homes was largely done to push back against the increased English settlements and influence over the area, as told by Neil Larson, “there seems to have been a compulsion on the part of the Dutch community to show their opposition to English tastes and manners,” who also noted that this conflict largely arose from “cultural conflict had its roots in Old World rivalries and animosities” (Larson 4). Despite emigrating from France, the patentees used the status and cultural significance of these Dutch stone homes in defiance of new wave settlers, creating a distinct architectural era for New Paltz’s early years of development.
The stone foundation of the Jean Hasbrouck House is therefore representative of many significant plot points throughout New Paltz history. Not only does it represent a type of foundation found during the 18th century, but it represents strong connections between neighboring communities, self-sufficiency, wealth disparity, and the continuation of Dutch culture. These stone houses serve as a reminder of the past of New Paltz creation – its unshakeable interwoven socioeconomical and cultural roots – even centuries later.
~Alyssa, Revised by Sara Vala
Works Cited
Crawford & Stearns Architects and Preservation Planners, and Neil Larson & Associates. Historic Structure Report: The Jean Hasbrouck House. 2002.
“Hasbrouck Family Association.” Historic Huguenot Street, http://www.huguenotstreet.org/hasbrouck. Accessed 17 May 2023.
Larson, Neil. “Stone Houses of New Paltz.” Neil Larson, 2014.
Levine, David. “Dive into the History of Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz.” Hudson Valley Magazine, 2 Nov. 2021, hvmag.com/life-style/history/huguenot-street-new-paltz/.