Ezra Clark House
Encyclopedia
The Ezra Clark House is located on Mill Road in the Town of North East
, New York, United States. It is a brick house built in the late 18th century.
It is one of the oldest farmhouses in the town, and one of the few built of brick. In 1985 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Eight years later, when the Coleman Station Historic District
was created and listed on the Register, it was further recognized as a contributing property
.
on the west side of Mill Road a short distance north of Indian Lake Road at the center of Coleman Station. To its east the rear lot line is the former New York Central Railroad
right-of-way, now the Harlem Valley Rail Trail
. It is mostly open fields or wetland
s, with a small pond south of the house. In addition to the house there is a barn and shed north of the house and a gazebo
at the pond. None are considered contributing resources
to the property's historic character. The foundation
of an old barn to the northeast has not been assessed for its archaeological
potential.
The main house is oriented perpendicular to the road, with its main facade
facing south. A stone basement built into a slight rise in the land is exposed on the south and west. It supports a two-story, five-bay
brick building with gable
d roof shingled in polychrome slate pierced by two brick chimneys. The south (front) elevation has a full-width wooden porch supported by chamfer
ed columns on both stories. The slope of the land means that the rear of the first story is underground.
All windows have paneled wooden shutters
with their original hardware. Those on the second story of the front are regularly spaced, those on the ground floor are not. The two that flank the slightly off-center entrance have brick segmental arches.
The windows on the side elevations are asymmetrically placed. The upper rear elevation has a central door with a segmental arched brick lintel. To the east is a larger window with a flat brick arch, added later. The other two windows, on the west, are brick arched and original to the house.
From the main entrance, a modern door with simple wood trim, there is a central hall with two rooms on either side. The rooms on the west feature corner fireplaces; the one in front has an exposed beam ceiling. The front room on the east, the original kitchen, has a large fireplace in the side wall and an Dutch beehive oven
; like the two opposite the fireplace's mantelpiece is original. The room to the rear has been divided so as to accommodate a modern bathroom on the east. A staircase on the interior side wall of the old kitchen leads upstairs to bedrooms and a modern kitchen. The garret
above it has been subdivided into two bedrooms.
area. A brick in the chimney inscribed "J.M. 1780" has suggested it was built later than originally believed, and by someone else. The most likely candidate for "J.M." is Jacob Meyers, a lieutenant in the Continental Army
whose family is known to moved to the Millerton area around that time from the hamlet of Pulvers Corners, today in the town of Pine Plains to the west. The house is a typical Hudson Valley
brick house showing the influence of English and Dutch building traditions
, such as the porch and central hall plan.
Clark and his family, longtime residents of the area, moved in sometime around 1795. The farm originally included much more land than it presently does. Later owners have added the windows, changed the roofing material several times, and added some of the windows. As a whole the house retains much of its original plan, materials and integrity.
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. It is a brick house built in the late 18th century.
It is one of the oldest farmhouses in the town, and one of the few built of brick. In 1985 it 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...
. Eight years later, when the Coleman Station Historic District
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...
was created and listed on the Register, it was further recognized as 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...
.
Building and grounds
The house is located on a 8.7 acres (3.5 ha) lot behind a picket fencePicket fence
A picket fence is a variety of fence that has been used mostly for domestic boundaries. Until the introduction of advertising on fences in the 1980s, a Cricket field was also usually surrounded by a picket fence, giving rise to the expression rattling the pickets for a ball hit firmly into the...
on the west side of Mill Road a short distance north of Indian Lake Road at the center of Coleman Station. To its east the rear lot line is the former 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...
. It is mostly open fields or wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, with a small pond south of the house. In addition to the house there is a barn and shed north of the house and a gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
at the pond. None are considered 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 property's historic character. The 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:...
of an old barn to the northeast has not been assessed for its archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
potential.
The main house is oriented perpendicular to the road, with its main facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
facing south. A stone basement built into a slight rise in the land is exposed on the south and west. It supports 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:...
brick building with 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 polychrome slate pierced by two brick chimneys. The south (front) elevation has a full-width wooden porch supported by chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed columns on both stories. The slope of the land means that the rear of the first story is underground.
All windows have paneled wooden shutters
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
with their original hardware. Those on the second story of the front are regularly spaced, those on the ground floor are not. The two that flank the slightly off-center entrance have brick segmental arches.
The windows on the side elevations are asymmetrically placed. The upper rear elevation has a central door with a segmental arched brick lintel. To the east is a larger window with a flat brick arch, added later. The other two windows, on the west, are brick arched and original to the house.
From the main entrance, a modern door with simple wood trim, there is a central hall with two rooms on either side. The rooms on the west feature corner fireplaces; the one in front has an exposed beam ceiling. The front room on the east, the original kitchen, has a large fireplace in the side wall and an Dutch 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...
; like the two opposite the fireplace's mantelpiece is original. The room to the rear has been divided so as to accommodate a modern bathroom on the east. A staircase on the interior side wall of the old kitchen leads upstairs to bedrooms and a modern kitchen. The garret
Garret
A garret is generally synonymous in modern usage with a habitable attic or small living space at the top of a house. It entered Middle English via Old French with a military connotation of a watchtower or something akin to a garrison, in other words a place for guards or soldiers to be quartered...
above it has been subdivided into two bedrooms.
History
For a long time it was assumed that Clark had built the house, and that it was the oldest house in the MillertonMillerton, New York
Millerton is a village in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 925 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
area. A brick in the chimney inscribed "J.M. 1780" has suggested it was built later than originally believed, and by someone else. The most likely candidate for "J.M." is Jacob Meyers, a lieutenant in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
whose family is known to moved to the Millerton area around that time from the hamlet of Pulvers Corners, today in the town of Pine Plains to the west. The house is a typical Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
brick house showing the influence of English and Dutch building traditions
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
, such as the porch and central hall plan.
Clark and his family, longtime residents of the area, moved in sometime around 1795. The farm originally included much more land than it presently does. Later owners have added the windows, changed the roofing material several times, and added some of the windows. As a whole the house retains much of its original plan, materials and integrity.