Seven Chimneys, also known as the Nicholas Zabriskie House, was built between 1745 and 1750 by Nicholas Zabriskie, an early Dutch settler in the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

. It is the oldest house in

Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey Washington Township (officially the Township of Washington) is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 9 ...

. Notable visitors include

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. . The house was used as a stop on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. Seven Chimneys was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1971.

History

Seven Chimneys was built between 1745 and 1750 by Nicholas Zabriskie, and was part of a farm. The house is noted on the Erkine maps used by George Washington's army. For its first 158 years, Seven Chimneys remained part of the Zabriskie and extended Zabriskie family, claiming the Ackermans, Harings, and Van Emburghs as its residents, all prominent families in the area and in local history. In 1915, William B. Howland, publisher of the Independent and Outlook, purchased Seven Chimneys as his country house. During the summers 1915 to 1917, Theodore Roosevelt visited, where he stayed in the west wing and wrote articles for Howland's publications. In 1920, Willie Curtis Foster purchased Seven Chimneys from William Howland's son. For the next 45 years, Seven Chimneys was a working farm. In 1965, the Fosters sold Seven Chimneys to the Reid construction company, which built the neighborhood around it. The neighborhood's cul-de-sac, Chimney Ridge Court, is named after the distinct seven chimneys of the home. In 1965, Francis and Mary Burde purchased Seven Chimneys and lived there until 2001.

Architecture

Seven Chimneys is one of a dozen or so remaining examples of the original Dutch settler style located throughout the

region of New Jersey and lower New York state. The foundation of Seven Chimneys is built of rough stone and

lime mortar Lime mortar or torching is a masonry mortar (masonry), mortar composed of lime (material), lime and an construction aggregate, aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. It is one of the oldest known types of mortar, used in ancient Rome and anci ...

. The handcut beam frame of the original house is constructed without nails, utilizing pegged

mortise and tenon A mortise and tenon (occasionally mortice and tenon) is a Woodworking joints, joint that connects two pieces of wood or other material. Woodworking, Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly ...

joints. The exterior is constructed of hand-chiseled Hudson River sandstone. Typical of the Dutch construction of this time period, the stone is cut and finished on three sides, and unfinished, rough sandstone on the north. The north and south entrances feature matching split Dutch doors. Interior

lath A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straight-grained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in lattice and trellis work. ''Lath'' has expanded to mean any type of backing m ...

walls are finished with horse hair and plaster. Floors are random, original growth pine ranging from in width fastened with handmade square nails. In 1770, the left and right wings were added . In 1812, the second story was added, which might explain its

Federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...

roof line, uncommon to Dutch houses of this period. In 1978, a great room addition to the east wing was added, joining the detached slave kitchen to the rest of the house. Outbuildings at Seven Chimneys include a working wellhouse and well, and a smokehouse thought to have been built sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century.

Notes

References

External links

Bergen County Historical Society

Township of Washington history
{{National Register of Historic Places Houses in Bergen County, New Jersey Houses on the Underground Railroad Houses completed in 1750 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Bergen County, New Jersey

History

Architecture

See also

Notes

References

External links