Dakin-Coleman Farm
Encyclopedia
The Dakin-Coleman Farm is located on Coleman Station Road (Dutchess County
Route 58) in the Town of North East
, New York, United States. Its large wooden farmhouse was built shortly before the Revolution
.
At one point it was legally divided between two heirs of its original builder. In the late 19th century renovations mostly to the interior added some Victorian
aspects to it. It has remained largely intact since then, and is the oldest house in the hamlet of Coleman Station
. It has been a contributing property
to the Coleman Station Historic District
since that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1993, and was listed in its own right in 2000.
along the New York Central Railroad
right-of-way (now the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
) and the US 44
/NY 22
highway. A small tributary
of nearby Webutuck Creek flows through the property, and forms its eastern boundary. The land slopes gently toward the west with a sharp rise on the south side. Most neighboring properties are farmland, with typical associated buildings.
There are three buildings on the property: the main farmhouse, a barn and a garage. All were built in different eras. The house and barn are contributing resources
to the National Register listing; the one-story frame hipped-roofed
garage is more modern and is not.
The main house is a two-story, five-bay
hand-hewn timber frame
structure on a stone foundation
. It is sided
in clapboard
and topped with an overhanging side-gable
d roof shingled in asphalt pierced by a single brick chimney on the east end. Mature trees surround it. A one-story shed-roofed wing projects from the west, with larger wings behind it.
A small gabled porch with round columns shelters the centrally located main entrance. All the windows are flanked by wooden louver
ed shutters
, save for Palladian windows above the main entrance and in the gable fields. Fenestration is symmetrical except for the north (rear) elevation, where it reflects changes made to the interior of the house over the years.
The wooden paneled front door, flanked by sidelights and topped with a transom
, opens onto a broad center hallway. An original staircase and doors remain on the west side, while the entryways opposite are open. It is floored in medium width heavy oak shiplap
, as are the two western rooms. Their fireplaces share a chimney but are slightly different, as the southwest one is completely original but the northwest one has had new brick put in. It has its original crane and beehive oven
.
On the east is a large open drawing room
, created by removing the wall that separated the two parlors. Some of the original 12-inch (30.5 cm) flooring planks, with forged-head nails, remain in the corner. A firebrick fireplace with neoclassical
mantel
is located on the end wall. French doors open to the exterior from the rear. A chair rail runs the length of the wall.
The staircase has original square newel
s and baluster
s supporting a simple molded
pine handrail. It leads to a second floor with a similar layout. On the east side of the central hall are two large doors, apparently original, with one perhaps taken from the first floor. Two newer bathrooms have been added in the rear, both using the original wide pine floorboards. The southeast room has its original fireplace of cut marble. A doorway connects it to the second story of the kitchen wing, which also has remnants of the original hearth. A full basement extends under the entire house.
minister from Concord, Massachusetts
. He bought 107 acres (43.3 ha) for his son Caleb to start a farm on in 1773. It is believed that Caleb built the house shortly thereafter, making it the oldest extant residence in the Coleman Station area.
Caleb died young. His will
divided his holdings, which he had increased during his life to 275 acres (111.3 ha), into 10 – strips and distributed them among his wife and daughters, under the control of his only son, Caleb Jr. One of these divisions went right down the house's center. It was split between Myra Dakin Goodrich and Achasa Dakin Coleman, with occupancy rights granted to Dakin's widow Rhoda and his unmarried daughter Betsy.
The property was transferred again when Caleb Jr. died a year later. His nephew Amasa Dakin Coleman acquired the property from his mother upon reaching the age of majority in 1834. Sometime during that decade the interior was modified slightly, with the wooden neoclassical mantelpiece added and the flooring replaced in the east parlor.
By 1850 Amasa Coleman had increased the size of the farm to 150 acres (60.7 ha). An abolitionist
, he was one of the first members of the local Republican Party
. He strongly supported local improvements such as the New York and Harlem Railroad
, going so far as to testify in court on the railroad's behalf when his neighbors the Wheelers contested the compensation it offered them for their nearby farm
. He would later lobby for the opening of a station
on his property near the farms of the area, all of which were beginning to specialize in raw milk production
, and it and the area would eventually take its name from him.
His daughter Elizabeth inherited the farm when he died in 1876. It was less successful under her ownership. Around that time the interior was further reworked with more Victorian
touches added, as well as the exterior changes like the French doors.
In 1912, on Elizabeth's death, the house was sold out of the family. The associated land was gradually sold as well, leaving the current three acres. In 1920 the garage was built. The house's interior was reworked again to accommodate changes to the plumbing, including the new bathrooms, in 1992. There have been no other major changes to the property.
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
Route 58) in the Town of North East
North East, New York
North East is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 3,002 at the 2000 census.The Town of North East is in the northeastern part of the county...
, New York, United States. Its large wooden farmhouse was built shortly before the Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
At one point it was legally divided between two heirs of its original builder. In the late 19th century renovations mostly to the interior added some Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
aspects to it. It has remained largely intact since then, and is the oldest house in the hamlet of Coleman Station
Coleman Station Historic District
The Coleman Station Historic District is located around the former New York Central Railroad Coleman's station in the Town of North East, New York, United States, a short distance south of the village of Millerton. It is a rural area including several large farms in the southeastern corner of the...
. It has been a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Coleman Station Historic District
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
since that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1993, and was listed in its own right in 2000.
Buildings and grounds
The farmhouse sits on a 3 acres (1.2 ha) lot on the north side of the road halfway between the former site of Coleman's StationColeman's (NYCRR station)
Colemans was a former NYCRR train station that served the residents of North East, New York.Colemans operated primarily as a freight stop, but began accepting passengers by the late 1950s. Today it is located along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail in the middle of the Coleman Station Historic District....
along the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
right-of-way (now the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
Harlem Valley Rail Trail
The Harlem Valley Rail Trail is a paved rail trail on an abandoned portion of the New York and Harlem Railroad, north of the Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line terminus in Wassaic. It is owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation...
) and the US 44
U.S. Route 44 in New York
U.S. Route 44 in the state of New York is a major east–west thoroughfare in the Hudson Valley region of the state. Its entire length is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation, with the exception of the Mid-Hudson Bridge, which is maintained by the New York State Bridge...
/NY 22
New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...
highway. A small tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of nearby Webutuck Creek flows through the property, and forms its eastern boundary. The land slopes gently toward the west with a sharp rise on the south side. Most neighboring properties are farmland, with typical associated buildings.
There are three buildings on the property: the main farmhouse, a barn and a garage. All were built in different eras. The house and barn are contributing resources
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the National Register listing; the one-story frame hipped-roofed
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
garage is more modern and is not.
The main house is a two-story, five-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
hand-hewn timber frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
structure on a stone foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
. It is sided
Siding
Siding is the outer covering or cladding of a house meant to shed water and protect from the effects of weather. On a building that uses siding, it may act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence its property value....
in clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
and topped with an overhanging side-gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof shingled in asphalt pierced by a single brick chimney on the east end. Mature trees surround it. A one-story shed-roofed wing projects from the west, with larger wings behind it.
A small gabled porch with round columns shelters the centrally located main entrance. All the windows are flanked by wooden louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
ed shutters
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
, save for Palladian windows above the main entrance and in the gable fields. Fenestration is symmetrical except for the north (rear) elevation, where it reflects changes made to the interior of the house over the years.
The wooden paneled front door, flanked by sidelights and topped with a transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
, opens onto a broad center hallway. An original staircase and doors remain on the west side, while the entryways opposite are open. It is floored in medium width heavy oak shiplap
Shiplap
Shiplap is a term used to describe a type of wooden board used commonly in the construction of barns, sheds, outbuildings and inexpensive or seasonal homes. It is either rough-sawn 1" or milled 3/4" pine or similarly inexpensive wood between 3" and 10" wide with a 3/8" - 1/2" rabbet on opposite...
, as are the two western rooms. Their fireplaces share a chimney but are slightly different, as the southwest one is completely original but the northwest one has had new brick put in. It has its original crane and beehive oven
Beehive oven
A beehive oven is an early type of oven. It gets its name from its domed shape, which resembles that of an old-fashioned beehive, and was in common use in the Americas and Europe from the Middle Ages to the advent of the gas and electric ovens. Beehive ovens were common in households used for...
.
On the east is a large open drawing room
Drawing room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber", which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642...
, created by removing the wall that separated the two parlors. Some of the original 12-inch (30.5 cm) flooring planks, with forged-head nails, remain in the corner. A firebrick fireplace with neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
mantel
Fireplace mantel
Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling...
is located on the end wall. French doors open to the exterior from the rear. A chair rail runs the length of the wall.
The staircase has original square newel
Newel
A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but it can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase...
s and baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s supporting a simple molded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
pine handrail. It leads to a second floor with a similar layout. On the east side of the central hall are two large doors, apparently original, with one perhaps taken from the first floor. Two newer bathrooms have been added in the rear, both using the original wide pine floorboards. The southeast room has its original fireplace of cut marble. A doorway connects it to the second story of the kitchen wing, which also has remnants of the original hearth. A full basement extends under the entire house.
History
The land the house stands on was first owned by Simon Dakin, a BaptistBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
minister from Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
. He bought 107 acres (43.3 ha) for his son Caleb to start a farm on in 1773. It is believed that Caleb built the house shortly thereafter, making it the oldest extant residence in the Coleman Station area.
Caleb died young. His will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
divided his holdings, which he had increased during his life to 275 acres (111.3 ha), into 10 – strips and distributed them among his wife and daughters, under the control of his only son, Caleb Jr. One of these divisions went right down the house's center. It was split between Myra Dakin Goodrich and Achasa Dakin Coleman, with occupancy rights granted to Dakin's widow Rhoda and his unmarried daughter Betsy.
The property was transferred again when Caleb Jr. died a year later. His nephew Amasa Dakin Coleman acquired the property from his mother upon reaching the age of majority in 1834. Sometime during that decade the interior was modified slightly, with the wooden neoclassical mantelpiece added and the flooring replaced in the east parlor.
By 1850 Amasa Coleman had increased the size of the farm to 150 acres (60.7 ha). An abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, he was one of the first members of the local Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He strongly supported local improvements such as the New York and Harlem Railroad
New York and Harlem Railroad
The New York and Harlem Railroad was one of the first railroads in the United States, and possibly also the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and 1852 between Lower Manhattan to and beyond Harlem...
, going so far as to testify in court on the railroad's behalf when his neighbors the Wheelers contested the compensation it offered them for their nearby farm
Thomas N. Wheeler Farm
The Thomas N. Wheeler Farm is located on Indian Lake Road in the Town of North East, New York, United States, south of the village of Millerton. It is a frame house built at the beginning of the 19th century in the Federal style....
. He would later lobby for the opening of a station
Coleman's (NYCRR station)
Colemans was a former NYCRR train station that served the residents of North East, New York.Colemans operated primarily as a freight stop, but began accepting passengers by the late 1950s. Today it is located along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail in the middle of the Coleman Station Historic District....
on his property near the farms of the area, all of which were beginning to specialize in raw milk production
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
, and it and the area would eventually take its name from him.
His daughter Elizabeth inherited the farm when he died in 1876. It was less successful under her ownership. Around that time the interior was further reworked with more Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
touches added, as well as the exterior changes like the French doors.
In 1912, on Elizabeth's death, the house was sold out of the family. The associated land was gradually sold as well, leaving the current three acres. In 1920 the garage was built. The house's interior was reworked again to accommodate changes to the plumbing, including the new bathrooms, in 1992. There have been no other major changes to the property.