Bevier House a link to past for Ulster County

By Jaime Tomeo
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

In 1680, Andries Pieterse Van Leuvan reportedly built a house on land purchased from the Esopus Indians. This was probably a one-room, one-story building, which is now the kitchen area. By 1711, the land had passed to his son, Peter, and was assessed for "four chimneys, one slave and 110 pounds of taxable property," according to Amanda Jones, executive director for the house.

Jones said the house, which attracts more than 400 visitors a year, is having a historical structure report completed to uncover any obscurities.

"We know that there was a house built in the 1680s, but whether it was incorporated into the Bevier house we don't know (for sure)," Jones said.

Between 1715 and 1938, the house was passed down through seven generations of Bevier sons. Throughout this period the family operated a large farm and actively participated in government affairs. Louis Bevier, who served as an officer in the Revolutionary War, ran the house from 1746 to 1822.

The last generation to occupy the house had several prominent members in education, including Louis Bevier VI, who was the Dean of Rutgers College.

During the mid-19th century, additions, including a second story, were built. An icehouse was also incorporated in the basement.

Original condition kept

Except for the removal of the main staircase, the early Dutch farmhouse remains as the Bevier family created it and presented it to the Ulster County Historical Society in 1938. Unfortunately for historians, before the Bevier family decided to donate the family homestead to the society, their possessions over two centuries had been dispersed.

The generosity of friends and members of the house have helped to refurnish the home. The first major contribution was the Clarence Elting collection of Victoriana, which furnishes the large room on the first floor.

An extensive collection of Hudson Valley Dutch furniture and Colonial tools were donated and installed by John P. Remensnyder, a former president of the historical society.

Jones said her favorite room in the Bevier House is the dining room.

"It is a large, gracious room and I find the furnishings attractive," Jones said.

The Civil War collection of Will and Elizabeth Plank is housed in a room on the second floor, along with a framed document signed by Abraham Lincoln. The rest of the house is filled with china, ceramics and late-1800 paintings.

The Ulster County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization originally founded in 1859. The society remained dormant from 1862 until 1930, when Judge V.D Hasbrouck revived it.

Agnes Kelly, society president, said lectures and research materials held at the house attract many.

"Many people come to look up their genealogical history and to examine documents relating to their home or property," Kelly said.