MID HUDSON

https://www.melzingahnsdar.org/madam-brett-homestead

50 Van Nydeck Avenue

Beacon, NY 12508

Hours: Tours every second Saturday, May to December from 1-4 PM

Phone: (845) 831-6533 Email: [email protected]

Admission: Visit website for rates.

 

Historical Description:

The original portion of the Madam Brett Homestead was built in about 1709 by Catheryna and Roger Brett, who had settled on land inherited from father, Francis Rombout, one of the three patentees of southern Dutchess County. Widowed at a young age, Madam Brett remained in the "wilderness" to raise three young sons. She became a successful businesswoman, operating a mill and forming a trading cooperative for local settlers. During the American Revolution, George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Baron von Steuben visited the homestead.

 

The Site:

The oldest building in Dutchess County, the homestead was occupied by seven successive generations of Madam Brett's descendants before it was saved from demolition and purchased by the Melzingah Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution in 1954, which maintains the house and garden. Notable features of the house include handmade scalloped shingles, sloped dormers and a native stone foundation. Also noteworthy are the wide- floors, hand-hewn beams and the kitchen fireplace. Original furnishings include a large China-Trade Porcelain collection and 18th and 19th century furniture.

 

Research Patron: Denise Van Buren