The Crailo State Historic Site (also known as Fort Crailo and Yankee Doodle House) is a historic, fortified brick manor house in Rensselaer, New York which was built in 1707. The word ''Crailo'' is derived from ''kraaien bos'' (Dutch for "crow's woods") and refers to Kiliaen van Rensselaer's estate in

Huizen Huizen () is a municipality and a village in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. The name "Huizen" is Dutch for "houses" and this usage has been linked to the belief that the first stone houses, instead of the more common sod houses ...

, Holland, which is also named "Crailo".Spooner
pp. 189 Fort Crailo is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

Starting as early as 1663 through the 18th century, the area surrounding the site had become synonymously known as ''Greenbush''. The property consisted of flat alluvial farmlands, orchards, mills, a store, and ferry rights to Albany. As early as 1663, the estate later known as Hendrick's manor had a small fort for the protection of the local inhabitants from Indian attacks during the

Esopus Wars The Esopus Wars were two conflicts between the Esopus tribe of Lenape Indians (Delaware) and New Netherlander colonists during the latter half of the 17th century in Ulster County, New York. The first battle was instigated by settlers; the secon ...

and in 1675 during

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

the local militia captain was instructed to install a palisade around this fort. The fields and farm buildings at Crailo were used to quarter British and colonial troops as early as 1694 and at intervals during each of the French and Indian wars. The property was inherited by

Hendrick van Rensselaer Hendrick van Rensselaer (October 23, 1667 – July 4, 1740) was director of the Eastern patent of the Rensselaerswyck manor. The estate was composed of land in Columbia County, New York, and land opposite Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, ...

, Kiliean's grandson, who built the house in 1707. His son, Johannes, was a captain in the colonial militia. Captain van Rensselaer inherited Crailo in 1740. The gunports were likely added after a raiding party of 80 French and Indians attacked Greenbush, killing up to five persons in 1746. The inhabitants of Albany witnessed this assault from across the river but troops were unable to cross in time to defend Greenbush. In 1751 and 1754 Captain van Rensselaer provided candles and firewood to the colonial garrisons at Albany and Schenectady. The house was expanded in 1762. The loopholes on the lower floor indicate the original defensive nature of the house. Fort Crailo is reportedly the place where, in 1755, British Army surgeon Richard Shuckburgh, quartered in the home, wrote the ditty "

Yankee Doodle "Yankee Doodle" is a traditional song and nursery rhyme, the early versions of which predate the Seven Years' War and American Revolution. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today. It is the state anthem of Connecticut. Its ...

" to mock the New England colonial troops who fought with the British in the

French and Indian Wars The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...

. Fort Crailo was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1961. and The fort is operated by the State of New York as a museum of the Colonial Dutch culture in New York State. Exhibits include clothing, furniture, household and decorative items, and archaeological artifacts from "

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

" historic sites in New York and New Jersey. Many artifacts from the Fort Orange archeological dig in the early 1970s are on display.

Gallery

Image:Fort Crailo.png, Fort Crailo in 1907 Image:FortCrailo HABS cropped.jpg, Fort Crailo in HABS photo, c. 1940

References

External links

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New York State Military Museum article
{{Protected areas of New York Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) New York (state) historic sites Historic house museums in New York (state) Museums in Rensselaer County, New York History museums in New York (state) Houses completed in 1707 National Register of Historic Places in Rensselaer, New York National Register of Historic Places in Rensselaer County, New York Houses in Rensselaer County, New York Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state) 1707 establishments in the Province of New York Van Rensselaer family

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links