Gomez Mill House
Gomez Mill House | |
Newburgh | |
Coordinates | 41°35′12″N 73°58′53″W / 41.58667°N 73.98139°W |
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Built | 1714 |
Architect | Jacob and Daniel Gomez (first floor) Wolfert Acker (second floor and attic) |
NRHP reference No. | 73001245 |
Added to NRHP | 1973 |
The Gomez Mill House is located in the Town of Newburgh, New York, USA, on Mill House Road a short distance off US 9W, just south of the Orange–Ulster county line (its mailing address is in nearby Marlboro, in the latter). Over 300 years old, it is the earliest known surviving Jewish dwelling in North America and the oldest home in Orange County listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
History
In 1772, shortly before the
In 1835, Mill House was purchased by a wealthy landowner, Edward Armstrong. Following his death, it passed to his wife Sarah. Their eldest son, William Henry inherited the site and moved into the house in 1862. His brother was the artist and diplomat Maitland Armstrong. During the half-century William Henry and his family lived there, the kitchen wing and garden walls were added. During the next century, it had several other owners, the most notable being Dard Hunter, a papermaker associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. He bought the Mill House in 1912[2] and built a small paper mill on the property in the shape of a Devonshire cottage, complete with thatched roof. Over the next seven years he initiated and explored his lifelong career in hand papermaking and printing and produced some of his signature work.[1][2] He sold it in 1918 in anticipation of military service. He claimed in his autobiography that a representative of the Russian government bought it for use as a school, but the real buyer was progressive activist Martha Gruening, who intended to establish a libertarian school in the building.
After World War II, in 1947, it was purchased by Mildred and Jeffrey Starin with a G.I loan. It became home to Mildred Starin and her family for the next 50 years. They were the first to recognize its historic significance. Mildred, a recognized antique dealer in the Hudson Valley, got the property listed on the National Register in 1973.[1] Eleven years later, the New York City-based Gomez Foundation for Mill House, which had been established by descendants of Luis Moses Gomez and other interested parties in 1979, purchased the house to operate it as a museum, which it does today.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "Gomez Mill House: History". May 7, 2007. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
- ^ a b c "Gomez Mill House:Occupants". November 1, 2006. Archived from the original on November 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
External links
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