Van Benschoten House and Guest House
Van Benschoten House and Guest House | |
The main house in 2025 | |
| Nearest city | Margaretville, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°10′2″N 74°40′8″W / 42.16722°N 74.66889°W |
| Area | 5.7 acres (2.3 ha) |
| Built | 1867 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 02000302[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 1, 2002 |
Van Benschoten House and Guest House is a historic farmhouse complex located near Margaretville in Delaware County, New York, New York, United States. The property includes a Queen Anne–style main residence, a guest house, and associated agricultural buildings. It is an example of late nineteenth-century summer boarding house design applied to a working farmhouse in the Catskill Mountains region.[2]
The property reflects the historical practice of farm families in the Catskills supplementing agricultural income by accommodating seasonal visitors during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.[2]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1]
History
The Van Benschoten property originated as a working farm in the mid-nineteenth century. Construction on the site dates to about 1867, with the main house substantially expanded and remodeled around 1890.[2]
During this period the Catskill Mountains region developed as a popular summer destination for visitors from urban areas seeking cooler temperatures and rural scenery. Many farms adapted their homes to provide lodging for guests, creating small-scale boarding houses that supplemented farm income.[2]
The Van Benschoten property reflects this regional pattern, combining a working agricultural property with accommodations for seasonal visitors.
Architecture
The main house was built about 1890 and exhibits characteristics of the Queen Anne style.[2] The two-story wood-frame residence has an irregular massing created by four gabled pavilions projecting from a central hipped-roof core.
A prominent octagonal tower rises from one corner of the structure and is topped by a tall pointed roof. These features are typical of the asymmetrical and picturesque forms associated with late nineteenth-century Queen Anne domestic architecture.
Also located on the property is a cow barn, reflecting the site's continued use as a working farm.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Neil Larson (December 2001). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Van Benschoten House and Guest House. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 28, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)