Columbia County Museum - 1916
5 Albany Avenue, Kinderhook


Columbia County MuseumThe Columbia County Museum, open to the public since 1985, was originally built as a Masonic Temple in 1916. Today it houses the Columbia County Historical Society's offices, research library, collections storage, and exhibition spaces. The current exhibit, Collecting History: Highlights from the Collection of the Columbia County Historical Society, features a selection of significant items from the society's collections including portraits, furniture, quilts, and decorative arts.

Hours:
Sunday, Noon-4:00pm

Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm

Closed Tuesday and Wednesday

Donations are welcome.

The Columbia County Museum is located at 5 Albany Avenue, Kinderhook, just north of the stoplight in the Village of Kinderhook.



Luykas Van Alen House - 1737
Route 9H, Kinderhook


Luykas Van Alen House
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968, the Luykas Van Alen House is a restored house museum representing 18th-century rural Dutch farm life. The house, featuring parapet gables, Dutch doors, and entrance stoops, stands as a testament to traditional Dutch architecture in the Hudson River Valley.

Interior, Luykas Van Alen House
The Luykas Van Alen House interior is typical of the domestic settings in which many Hudson Valley Dutch farmers and merchants lived and worked. Large, jambless fireplaces dominate each room, with iron cooking utensils and period furnishings preserving a moment in time.

Visitors can also tour the c1850 one-room Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse.

Hours:
Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm

Sunday  Noon to 4:00pm

Memorial Day through Columbus Day

Admission (includes Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse):
Regular admission: $5

Members, Children 12 and under, and Seniors: Free

The Van Alen House is located on Route 9H just south of the village of Kinderhook.



James Vanderpoel House - c1820
Route 9, Kinderhook


James Vanderpoel House
The James Vanderpoel House is a distinguished example of Federal period architecture. Originally the home of a prominent lawyer and politician, James Vanderpoel, and his family, the house and its furnishings reflect an elegant lifestyle in a prosperous, early 19th-century village.

The fashionable Federal style emphasized lightness of proportion, symmetry, and delicate ornamentation. From the formal parlor to the children's bedroom, the James Vanderpoel House is being restored to its original 1820s appearance.

Interior James Vanderpoel  House
An annual craft fair and children's programs are held on the grounds. Group tours emphasize the restoration process as well as 19th-century culture in Columbia County.

Hours:
The Vanderpoel House is closed for renovation. The Society plans to transform the house into the Center for Columbia County History. For more information on this exciting transition please contact the society.

The James Vanderpoel House is located on Route 9 in the Village of Kinderhook, just south of the stoplight.



Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse - c1850
Route 9H, Kinderhook (on the grounds of the Luykas Van Alen House)


Ichabod Crane SchoolhouseThe Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse is a 19th-century building that served as a school into the 1940s. It takes its name from Washington Irving's schoolteacher in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Irving's Ichabod Crane character was modeled after Jesse Merwin, the schoolmaster who taught in this school district at the time of Irving's visits to this area in the mid nineteenth century.

The schoolhouse was moved to the Luykas Van Alen House property in 1974 and is restored to its 1920s appearance. It is included in the tour of the Van Alen House and welcomes school groups for a hands-on, one-room-school experience in the spring and fall.

Hours:
Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm

Sunday  Noon to 4:00pm

Memorial Day through Columbus Day



Admission (includes Luykas Van Alen House):
Regular admission: $5

Members, Children 12 and under, and Seniors: Free


The Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse is located on Route 9H, just south of the Village of Kinderhook on the property of the Luykas Van Alen House.