Kinderhook in Columbia County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Birthsite
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, November 1, 2010
1. Birthsite Marker
President of the United
States, was born at this
site December 5, 1782.
Erected by New York State Education Department.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #08 Martin Van Buren series list. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1871.
Location. 42° 23.507′ N, 73° 41.659′ W. Marker is in Kinderhook, New York, in Columbia County. It is at the intersection of Hudson Street (County Route 21) and Jarvis Lane, on the right when traveling east on Hudson Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kinderhook NY 12106, 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 and in the Mid-Atlantic. 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: Heermance House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lawrence Van Buren House (approx. Ό mile away); Dunham Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); Kinderhook World War I Monument (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gen. Henry Knox Trail (approx. 0.3 miles away); James Clark (approx. 0.3 miles away); Martin Van Buren (approx. 0.3 miles away); House of History (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kinderhook.
Also see . . . Martin Van Buren. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on February 28, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
this page online
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, November 1, 2010
2. Marker in Kinderhook
Being born here in 1782, Martin Van Buren was the first President to be born in the United States. His seven predecessors were born British Subjects.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, November 1, 2010
3. MVB Birthsite
Photographed by Howard C. Ohlhous, March 22, 2008
4. Birthsite Marker
The Martin Van Buren Birthsite marker, on the south side of Hudson Street, opposite Jarvis Lane.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, November 1, 2010
5. Grave of Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren is buried about a mile west of the marker, in the Kinderhook Dutch Reformed Cemetery.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2015
6. Martin Van Buren
This 1864 portrait of Martin Van Buren by Georege P. A. Healy hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, on loan from the White House.
“Martin Van Buren's genius as a backroom strategist earned him the nickname of Little Magician. But when he succeeded to the White House following his tenure as Andrew Jackson's vice president, the gift for orchestration that he had enlisted to promote Jackson's cause proved of little use in advancing his own. At the heart of the problem was an economic depression that persisted through most of his term and for which he was blamed. Damaging him further was a taste for the finer things of life, which led critics to portray him as indifferent to the country's suffering. Van Buren's reputation has improved, however, and today he is often lauded for his evenhanded foreign policy and landmark support for limiting the hours of workers on public projects.
This was one of the first likenesses that the White House acquired under an 1857 congressional act authorizing the purchase of presidential portraits. The artist named to do the work in the legislation was George P. A. Healy, one of mid-nineteenth century America's most popular portraitists.
“Martin Van Buren's genius as a backroom strategist earned him the nickname of Little Magician. But when he succeeded to the White House following his tenure as Andrew Jackson's vice president, the gift for orchestration that he had enlisted to promote Jackson's cause proved of little use in advancing his own. At the heart of the problem was an economic depression that persisted through most of his term and for which he was blamed. Damaging him further was a taste for the finer things of life, which led critics to portray him as indifferent to the country's suffering. Van Buren's reputation has improved, however, and today he is often lauded for his evenhanded foreign policy and landmark support for limiting the hours of workers on public projects.
This was one of the first likenesses that the White House acquired under an 1857 congressional act authorizing the purchase of presidential portraits. The artist named to do the work in the legislation was George P. A. Healy, one of mid-nineteenth century America's most popular portraitists.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, November 1, 2010
7. Statue of Martin Van Buren
This statue of Martin Van Buren sits in the center of Kinderhook, about Ό mile away from the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,237 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 1, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 4. submitted on October 29, 2019, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 5. submitted on November 1, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 6. submitted on September 26, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on November 2, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
