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77 Livingston St. Rhinebeck, NY 12572 (845) 871 – 1777 |
Open to the public Friday and Saturday from 2:00 – 4:00 PM Memorial Day through Labor Day as well as Flag Day, Independence Day, and the first Saturday of December.
The house as it stands today.
Judge Henry Beekman, Rhinebeck’s patentee, offered this cottage to his granddaughter, Janet Livingston and her husband Richard Montgomery at their marriage in 1773 to live in while their Rhinebeck estate, Grasmere, was being built. The house was located on the Old Post Road, now known as Montgomery Street. In the spring of 1775, Richard Montgomery was offered the commission of Major-General in the Continental Army. He and General Philip Schuyler were placed in command of the Northern Forces with the objective of rousting the British army out of Canada. Montgomery lost his life during a failed attempt to capture the walled city of Quebec, Canada, December 31, 1775.
The downstairs kitchen
Janet completed their Grasmere estate and lived there until 1802, when she built a new home with bountiful orchards and farmlands, “Chateau de Montgomery” (now known as Montgomery Place) in Annandale on Hudson.
The bedroom
In 1867, the Montgomery house was moved to its present location at 77 Livingston St. in Rhinebeck, NY. It was purchased in 1928 by Mrs. Helen Reed de Laporte, founder of the Chancellor Livingston Chapter, NSDAR. In 1930, she deeded this historic house to the chapter.
House restoration c. 1930 with colonial porch & roof line
In addition to managing the property, the Chancellor Livingston Chapter, NSDAR, holds a collection of local artifacts, pictures, and genealogical documents at the house.
House, c. 1917 with Victorian porch & dormer