Yelverton Inn and Store
Encyclopedia
The Yelverton Inn and Store is located along NY 94
, next to the First Presbyterian Church of Chester
at the corner where the highway turns from Main to Academy Street, in Chester
, New York
, United States
. It is a complex of four buildings: the original inn, built in 1765; its barn
and a shed
; and the store, known locally as Durland's Store, dating to 1841. The latter building is a rare surviving example of a Greek Revival
commercial building. Both have been local landmarks in Chester for many years, and were added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
The buildings are well-preserved examples of their periods and architectural style
s. But they have also been the scene of some important events in local history, and were visited by Alexander Hamilton
, Aaron Burr
and George Washington
at different times.
gable
d section to form the present building. Later, an enclosed porch
was built. Two Federal style doorways were also added in the early 19th century when that style was popular.
Inside, the original flooring, doors and most trim remain. The interior doors have an unusual "tau-cross" frame in which applied molding
surrounds flat inset panels. A fireplace
in the master bedroom was probably added around 1795.
It has a frame shed
and barn behind it. The shed has an unusual decoration of 17 round holes drilled below the cornice
on the gable end. The three-story barn has a lower section of brick and stone yielding to shingle
up top.
The store was first raised on Christmas Day in 1841 and finished the next spring. An overhang
and the front pillar
s were added later that year. Its west wing was originally a separate structure; after being connected it was used as a storeroom.
dated two years later, which names his son Abijan as the "innkeeper".
The first of several historic events in the inn's history took place on September 3, 1774, when local voters gathered there chose Henry Wisner
of nearby Goshen
as their delegate to the First Continental Congress
. He was among those who voted, two years later, to declare independence but was not able to actually sign the Declaration of Independence
as he had to attend to his duties as a member of the provincial congress
. During the ensuing war
, local militia were encamped and mustered on a nearby hillside.
In the last years of the war, on July 27, 1782, George Washington
slept at the inn on his way back from Philadelphia to his headquarters
in Newburgh
to meet with Count Rochambeau
. The event was commemorated 125 years later with a plaque
attached to the building by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
.
After the war ended, a major local land dispute was settled on the grounds of the inn. Early in the century, two land grant
s had been made taking up most of what is now Orange County
. They were known as the Wawayanda Patent, mostly to the southern portion of the county, and the Cheesecocks Patent to some of the northern areas. The former had not specified precisely where its northern boundary lay, and over the course of the century different owners claimed title to the same tracts of land. Several times during the colonial era this dispute had flared into litigation and sometimes violence, without being conclusively settled.
The Cheesecocks patentees claimed the boundary ran along a straight line rather than mountains, hilltops and ridges. As many as 52,000 acres (20,800 ha) were at stake, and a Suffolk County
court ordered the creation of a special commission to hear the case upstate. It held its trial in a nearby barn (not the existing one), with the attorneys for the parties likely staying at the inn. Among those representing the Wawayanda claimants, who ultimately prevailed, were Alexander Hamilton
and Aaron Burr
. Elias Boudinot
and Ezra L'Hommedieu
were also present.
New York State Route 94
New York State Route 94 is a state highway entirely within Orange County in southern New York. The western terminus is at the New York-New Jersey state line, where it continues as NJ 94 for another to Columbia, New Jersey. Its eastern terminus is located at U.S. Route 9W in New Windsor....
, next to the First Presbyterian Church of Chester
First Presbyterian Church of Chester
The First Presbyterian Church of Chester is a Presbyterian church in Chester. It is located along NY 94 in the eponymous village in Orange County, New York, United States. The current church building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, is the third in the history of the...
at the corner where the highway turns from Main to Academy Street, in Chester
Chester (village), New York
Chester is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,445 at the 2000 census. It was named after the City of Chester in England...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a complex of four buildings: the original inn, built in 1765; its barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
and a shed
Shed
A shed is typically a simple, single-storey structure in a back garden or on an allotment that is used for storage, hobbies, or as a workshop....
; and the store, known locally as Durland's Store, dating to 1841. The latter building is a rare surviving example of a Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
commercial building. Both have been local landmarks in Chester for many years, and were added to 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 1980.
The buildings are well-preserved examples of their periods and architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
s. But they have also been the scene of some important events in local history, and were visited by Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
and George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
at different times.
Buildings
The inn, the earliest of the three to be built, is a two-story L-shaped frame residence facing Main Street. A smaller northern wing was later almost enveloped by a five-bayBay (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:...
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 section to form the present building. Later, an enclosed porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
was built. Two Federal style doorways were also added in the early 19th century when that style was popular.
Inside, the original flooring, doors and most trim remain. The interior doors have an unusual "tau-cross" frame in which applied molding
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...
surrounds flat inset panels. A fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
in the master bedroom was probably added around 1795.
It has a frame shed
Shed
A shed is typically a simple, single-storey structure in a back garden or on an allotment that is used for storage, hobbies, or as a workshop....
and barn behind it. The shed has an unusual decoration of 17 round holes drilled below the cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
on the gable end. The three-story barn has a lower section of brick and stone yielding to shingle
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
up top.
The store was first raised on Christmas Day in 1841 and finished the next spring. An overhang
Overhang
Overhang may refer to:* Debt overhang, a fiscal situation of a government* Market overhang, a concept in marketing* Monetary overhang, a phenomenon where people have money holdings due to the lack of ability to spend them...
and the front pillar
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s were added later that year. Its west wing was originally a separate structure; after being connected it was used as a storeroom.
History
Local deeds show that John Yelverton bought the land where the buildings now stand around 1755. The 1765 date long accepted as the year of the inn's construction seems likely from his willWill (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...
dated two years later, which names his son Abijan as the "innkeeper".
The first of several historic events in the inn's history took place on September 3, 1774, when local voters gathered there chose Henry Wisner
Henry Wisner
Henry Wisner was an American miller from Goshen, New York. He was a patriot leader during the American Revolution and represented New York in the Continental Congress....
of nearby Goshen
Goshen (town), New York
Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,913 at the 2000 census.The Town of Goshen contains a village also called Goshen, the county seat of Orange County. The town is centrally located in the county....
as their delegate to the First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen North American colonies that met on September 5, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to the passage of the Coercive Acts by the...
. He was among those who voted, two years later, to declare independence but was not able to actually sign the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
as he had to attend to his duties as a member of the provincial congress
New York Provincial Congress
The New York Provincial Congress was an organization formed by rebels in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-rebellion alternative to the more conservative Province of New York Assembly, and as a replacement for the Committee of One Hundred.A Provincial Convention assembled in New York...
. During the ensuing war
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, local militia were encamped and mustered on a nearby hillside.
In the last years of the war, on July 27, 1782, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
slept at the inn on his way back from Philadelphia to his headquarters
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site is a historic site in Newburgh, New York, USA. It consists of the Hasbrouck House, the longest-serving headquarters of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, and three other structures....
in Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York
Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States, north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. Newburgh is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area, which includes all of Dutchess and Orange counties. The Newburgh area was...
to meet with Count Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
. The event was commemorated 125 years later with a plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
attached to the building by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
.
After the war ended, a major local land dispute was settled on the grounds of the inn. Early in the century, two land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
s had been made taking up most of what is now Orange County
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
. They were known as the Wawayanda Patent, mostly to the southern portion of the county, and the Cheesecocks Patent to some of the northern areas. The former had not specified precisely where its northern boundary lay, and over the course of the century different owners claimed title to the same tracts of land. Several times during the colonial era this dispute had flared into litigation and sometimes violence, without being conclusively settled.
The Cheesecocks patentees claimed the boundary ran along a straight line rather than mountains, hilltops and ridges. As many as 52,000 acres (20,800 ha) were at stake, and a Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
court ordered the creation of a special commission to hear the case upstate. It held its trial in a nearby barn (not the existing one), with the attorneys for the parties likely staying at the inn. Among those representing the Wawayanda claimants, who ultimately prevailed, were Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
and Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
. Elias Boudinot
Elias Boudinot
Elias Boudinot was a lawyer and statesman from Elizabeth, New Jersey who was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a U.S. Congressman for New Jersey...
and Ezra L'Hommedieu
Ezra L'Hommedieu
Ezra L'Hommedieu was an American lawyer and statesman from Southold, New York. He was a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress from 1779 to 1783 and again in 1788...
were also present.