Three Centuries of Senate House

Three Centuries of Senate House. . , Wessel Ten Broeck, a Dutch immigrant to New York, built this house in 1676. The residence was likely a modest stone house with a steep gabled roof facing the street in the Dutch style, though only parts of that structure remain. The house passed through the family to Sarah Ten Broeck, who married local businessman Abraham Van Gaasbeek in 1751., After the British attacked Kingston in 1777, Van Gaasbeek made repairs to his damaged house. It was altered several times in the nineteenth century to reflect the prosperity and changing needs of the residents. The house remained a private residence until 1887, when New York State purchased it, making it the second publicly owned historic site in the state., For a house tour, please proceed to the museum building., [Sidebar:] , The Enslaved at Senate House , The Van Gaasbeek family enslaved people of African descent. The 1790 census recorded twelve enslaved members of their household, twice the number of free white people listed. By the time of Abraham's death, seven people were included in his estate: Francyn, Old Dan, Jack, Har, Piet, Deyan, and Dan. Little is known about them as individuals or their life at Senate House, though it is likely that at least some of them lived or worked here., Even in Kingston, a city with many enslaved people, relationships and community were fragile, and people were frequently separated against their will. When Abraham died, his daughter-in-law sold most of the people he enslaved, including the children, Piet and Dan., [Captions:] , Above: This plan of the Senate House foundations identifies the periods o the building's construction and expansion., Right: Francyn and Deyan likely did many domestic chores: laundry, cooking, cleaning, and processing dairy from the Van Gaasbeek cows. Both Old Dan and Jack were involved in maritime trades. Like most people in bondage, each person enslaved by the Van Gaasbeeks would have performed many kinds of skilled labor for the profit of others., Abraham and Sarah lived in this house and may have run a storefront out of the building as part of Abraham's shipping business. By the start of the Revolutionary War, Sarah, their daughter Rachel, and Rachel's infant daughter had died. His only remaining child, Peter, joined the Ulster County Militia. In this time of mourning and uncertainty, Abraham still chose to offer his house to the rebel state government., 1880 The nineteenth century clapboard additions and columned porches at the north and south ends were removed in 1887., 1890 The large stone porch and wing were added as caretaker's quarters in 1887., 1970 Further renovations occurred between 1948 and 1962. In 1976, the state replaced the copper roof, seen in this photograph, with a more appropriate cedar shingle roof., 2025 Senate House is furnished to the period when Abraham Van Gaasbeek offered it as a meeting place for the New York State Senate.