Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is a unit of the United States

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

in Columbia County, New York, south of the village of Kinderhook, north of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and south of Albany. The National Historic Site preserves the Lindenwald estate owned by

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

, the eighth

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. Van Buren purchased the 36-room mansion during his presidency in 1839, and it became his home and farm from his leaving office in 1841 until his death in 1862.

History

Van Buren, a founder of the Democratic Party, purchased the home and approximately of land in 1839 for $14,000 (equal to $ today) while he was still president. However, Van Buren did not move into the home until 1841 (after he was defeated for his second term by the Whig candidate

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

in 1840). Eventually, his four living sons,

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

, John, Martin Jr., and Smith, had rooms in the mansion. The home was previously owned by the Van Ness family and was where

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

wrote most of his books '' A History of New York'' and '' Sketch Book''. Irving and Van Buren later became friends. Van Buren ran two United States presidential campaigns from Lindenwald. In 1844, he based his ultimately unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination at the estate. That year, Van Buren lost a hotly contested fight to nominee and eventual President James Knox Polk. In 1848, in opposition to the extension of slavery into territories captured from Mexico as a result of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, Van Buren ran for president on a third-party ticket (The

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party, also called the Free Democratic Party or the Free Democracy, was a political party in the United States from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. The party was focused o ...

), again directing his campaign from Lindenwald. Van Buren's campaign drew enough votes away from the Democratic nominee,

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was a United States Army officer and politician. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He was also the 1 ...

, to allow Whig candidate Zachary Taylor to prevail. Van Buren named the estate Lindenwald, which is German for "linden forest", after the American Linden (American Basswood or '' Tilia americana'') trees lining the Albany-to-New York Post Road, which is still located in front of the home. The section of the road on the property remains unimproved to this day. Some replanted Linden trees also remain by the side of the road. Van Buren died at Lindenwald on July 24, 1862. He was 79.

Recognition

Lindenwald was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1961. and The Martin Van Buren National Historic Site was established on October 26, 1974, and today, Lindenwald is under the care of the

Today

The site is located on New York State Route 9H, about south of Van Buren's hometown of Kinderhook, New York. It includes a visitor center operated by the National Park Service. Access to the Lindenwald mansion is by ranger-guided tour only. The tower cannot be visited due to fire safety codes. The grounds contain educational signs which tell of the history of the estate. During Van Buren's lifetime, the site also contained two gatehouses, a north one and a south one. The north gatehouse was demolished in the 1950s, but today the site is outlined with a stone foundation.

Gallery

File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Nelson E. Baldwin, Photographer Jan. 16, 1937, View-Southeast Elevation-Lindenwald Home of Martin Van Buren, Kinderhook, N.Y. - Lindenwald, HABS NY,11-KINHO.V,1-1.tif, 1937 File:Martin Van Buren, residence in Kinderhook, New York. LOC gsc.5a28121.jpg, 1961 File:Lindenwald NY1.jpg, 2017

References

External links

*
''Martin Van Buren's "Return to the Soil",'' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan

"Life Portrait of Martin Van Buren"
from

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...

's '' American Presidents: Life Portraits'', broadcast from the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, May 3, 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Buren, Martin National Historic Site National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Presidential homes in the United States National Historic Sites in New York (state) Historic house museums in New York (state) Museums in Columbia County, New York Presidential museums in New York (state) Houses in Columbia County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Columbia County, New York Protected areas established in 1974 1974 establishments in New York (state) Martin Van Buren Washington Irving