Stockade District in Kingston in Ulster County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Welcome
Senate House State Historic Site
In Kingston in 1777, New York's wartime government voted to accept the state's first constitution, making the city the state's first capital. For twenty-six days, members of the first New York State Senate met in the stone house of Abraham Van Gaasbeek, a local Kingston merchant sympathetic to the rebel cause. Van Gaasbeek's house survived the punitive attack on the city by the British on October 16, which burned much of Kingston. The residents rebuilt, and the Van Gaasbeek home, now known as Senate House, remained a privately owned residence until 1887.
[Captions:]
The site of the Senate House has served as a place of remembrance for many years. The laying of the cornerstone of this Colonial Revival museum building was planned to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the meeting house of the New York State Senate in September of 1927. Built to house the site's large historic collection, today the museum offers three exhibits highlighting the history of the Kingston area and its people.
Governor Alfred Smith officiates the laying of the cornerstone for the Senate House museum building, September 10, 1927. Courtesy Friends of Historic Kingston
The Senate House museum collection includes works by American painter John Vanderlyn. Born in Kingston in 1775, Vanderlyn was among a cohort of post-independence artists who worked to create a uniquely American artistic viewpoint for a new American nation.
Erected by New
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Government & Politics • Parks & Recreational Areas • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1927.
Location. 41° 56.089′ N, 74° 1.138′ W. Marker is in Kingston, New York, in Ulster County. It is in the Stockade District. It is on Fair Street south of North Front Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 312 Fair St, Kingston NY 12401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York and in the Hudson Valley. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Senate House Museum
Other markers no longer nearby. A Community Attic (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Evolution of the Senate House (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named The Loughran House (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); A Radical Idea: Government by the People (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 22, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
