Albertus Van Loon House
Encyclopedia
The Albertus Van Loon House (surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 is pronounced like "van loan") is one of the oldest extant buildings in New York State. It is located in Athens, New York
Athens (village), New York
Athens is a village in Greene County, New York, USA. The population was 1,668 at the 2010 census. The village is named after the classical city of Athens.The Village of Athens is in the eastern part of the Town of Athens, opposite the City of Hudson....

 at 85 North Washington Street (also known as New York State Route 385
New York State Route 385
New York State Route 385 is a state highway in Greene County, New York, United States. It runs from the village of Catskill to the village of Coxsackie, serving as an alternate route of U.S. Route 9W between the two locations. While US 9W follows a more inland routing, NY 385...

). It is inside the "Village of Athens Multiple Resource Area (MRA)".

It was built by Albertus Van Loon, who was one of eight children of Jan Van Loon. Jan was the earliest Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...

 to the area, and gave the settlement its first name: Loonenburg. Only one wall of Jan Van Loon's house still stands nearby, at 39 South Washington Street. Albertus' house is in what was called the Upper Village. The house is rectangular with 1.5 stories with stone walls, although a gambrel
Gambrel
A gambrel is a usually-symmetrical two-sided roof with two slopes on each side. The upper slope is positioned at a shallow angle, while the lower slope is steep. This design provides the advantages of a sloped roof while maximizing headroom on the building's upper level...

 roof was added between 1775–1800. After Albertus died in 1754, the Van Loon family lived in the house for three generations and moved out in the early 19th century.

Albertus Van Loon helped the town grow by being one of those who donated land for the Zion Lutheran Church (Athens, New York)
Zion Lutheran Church (Athens, New York)
Zion Lutheran Church is a historic Lutheran church in Athens, Greene County, New York. It was built in 1853 and features a pair of wooden Doric order columns in antis and brick pilasters. The brick church is in the Greek Revival style and has a square, two stage tower.It was added to the National...

.

See also

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