Monthly Archives: July 2010

The DeWint House

The De Wint House: On the left is the kitchen addition. On either side of the front door are the numbers “1″ “7″ “0″ “0″ in blacken bricks placed there by De Clark (De Klerk), the builder in 1700.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The Carriage House

The Carriage House was built around the middle of the 1800s. This building contains a film about the history of the site, and several exhibits on George Washington, the Masons, John Andre (and Benedict Arnold) and the history of the De Wint house and its lovely grounds.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The wool winder and the spinning wheel

The wool winder on the left and the spinning wheel were tools found in every home. While these were used by the ladies of the house, the men invented “cute” names for the parts of these “tools.” One example is the “twin sisters” on the spinning wheel.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The Dutch tiles

The Dutch tiles in this room are blue. The trim that was found in this room, during the restoration, was the color of the tiles in the other room! Both sets of tiles were scenes from the Bible. Good teaching tools for a cold night huddled around the fire.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The large fireplace

The large fireplace in this American Dutch home cooked with coals on the ground and the brick oven provided some fine baked bread at least once a week.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The desk with secret compartments

Tables were pushed close to the wall each evening to allow for passage in the dark. The desk had secret compartments for the family records and documents.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The view from the kitchen door

This view from the kitchen door that is behind the camera, shows the small entry way – or two rooms with a center hall – that make up the De Wint home.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The chest contained clothing and the family's valuables

The chest contained clothing and the family’s valuables. Sleeping on the rope bed took some getting use to but after a hard day of work in the fields, was very welcome.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The glass cabinet with china and pewter

As lighting was a problem in these homes, the glass cabinet – with its china and pewter – often reflected the needed light.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus

The Dutch delft tile fireplace

The Dutch delft tile fireplace in the Main Room. On the table are artifacts illustrating General Washington’s four visits to this historic house museum.

Photography courtesy of Melvin Eckhaus