Ulster County dwelling dates to a time when area was known as 'The Highlands'

An 18th century stone house that stands along Allhusen Road in Ulster County features characteristics not typical of other Hudson Valley dwellings from that era. It was built on the Spratt-Marschalk Patent, one of several patents that today make up the Town of Plattekill.

The 1½-story, five-bay center hall features a gambrel roof and extensive use of brick in its construction. That is more consistent with structures built by New York and New Jersey individuals, who eventually relocated farther north.

The facade on the house is laid in Flemish bond of English size bricks. They differ from the flatter Dutch brick and the house’s foundation features stonework above and below grade.

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Ulster was untouched, unpopulated

In 1728, 3,000 acres was granted to John Spratt and Andries Marschalk. Until then, most of the land located on the west side of the Hudson River remained untouched and unpopulated. The land in today’s Plattekill was known at that time as “The Highlands.”

Beginning in 1700, and for the next three decades, much of the land in the Highlands was granted to various settlers including Palatines who immigrated to the country from England in 1710, individuals of Scottish heritage, and a number of merchants and tradesmen from New Jersey and New York City.

It was the latter contingent — including Spratt and Marschalk — that influenced the building features incorporated into the existing house along Allhusen Road.

By the mid-18th century, Spratt acquired Marschalk’s portion of the patent and the land holding passed down through his family until 1772 when John Stevens sold 500 acres to Johannis Shuart; both men relocated from New Jersey. While the house officially dates to that period, there is speculation as to whether or not Stevens already built it prior to selling it to Shuart.

The Shuart family resided in the house until 1799 when it was purchased by Peter Van Orden, a Dutchman whose ancestors originally settled in New York City and New Jersey. It was Van Orden, a Revolutionary War veteran, that had the unbridled ambition and entrepreneurial skills to transform the property around his house into somewhat of a commercial center.

Area known as 'Money Stamps' 

“This area of Modena was noted on maps as Money Stamps,” said Town of Plattekill Historian Libbie Werlau. “It’s considered a residential area now but earlier it was home to stores, a small hat factory, a distillery, and several agricultural pursuits.”

Van Orden sold a parcel of land opposite his house to individuals who opened a large distillery there. Recognizing an opportunity to benefit from the new enterprise, Van Orden built a dam and mill along a creek that ran through his property in order to process the grain from local farmers, for use in the distillery.

East of his house, Van Orden partnered with John Warner to establish a general store and by the early 19th century, the property also included a hat factory, two blacksmiths, a wheelwright and a shoemaker.

“When I visited the house it had a large cooking fireplace in the basement, fully outfitted with cooking utensils and I was told the basement housed servants,” said Shirley Anson of the Plattekill Historical Society.

“John Bodine, the brother-in-law of Cornelius Van Orden once lived in the house and when he served with the 19th New York State Militia during the Civil War, his sharpshooting skills earned him the nickname ‘Old Reliable’.”

The house remained in the Van Orden family through 1886 when their heirs, the Hasbrouck family moved in and lived there for 32 years. It was eventually sold out of the family in 1928 when George A. Rhinehart purchased it; following his death the house and two acres was sold again in 1980.  

A single-room stone wing was added to the house by the new owner in 1980, with the stones used coming from the ruins of a deteriorated structure in nearby Modena. The house, which remains privately owned, is at 41 Allhusen Road.

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