Ossining, New York

Ever wonder what it was like to cruise the waters around New York City a century ago? This is a clue. The MV Commander, built in 1917, was designed as a 275-passenger excursion boat. She originally ferried people…

Prepare to be transported back in time as we approach Lyndhurst, a stunning Gothic Revival mansion overlooking the Hudson River, and once owned by the infamous railroad tycoon, Jay Gould. But its story begins long…

Imagine crafting tales so captivating, they define American folklore! That's the legacy of Washington Irving, and this is Sunnyside, the enchanting home he built and cherished. Irving, already a celebrated author,…

Prepare to be inspired! This is Villa Lewaro, the stunning estate built by Madam C.J. Walker, one of the first self-made female millionaires in America. Madam Walker, a successful entrepreneur in the hair care industry,…

You're near a piece of land with a wild history, dating back to before the Revolutionary War. This is the site of the Romer-Van Tassel House. The original Romer family house stood here when, in 1780, they played a part…

Right here, on this rocky point jutting into the Hudson, a daring midnight raid changed the course of the Revolutionary War. On July 16 07 1779, General Anthony Wayne led a surprise attack on the British garrison at…

Imagine navigating the Hudson River before GPS! This very spot, Stony Point, was a notorious hazard for ships. That's why they built Stony Point Light, the oldest lighthouse on the Hudson. In 1826, the US government…

This ornate Carpenter Gothic house is a well-preserved example of mid-1800s architecture. The William H. Rose House, located right here on Tomkins Avenue, was built for a wealthy local businessman. To give you an idea…

Behold the unique Armour-Stiner House, an octagon-shaped Victorian mansion that stands as a testament to architectural eccentricity. This isn't your typical suburban home! Built between 1859 and 1860, the house was…

Pull over for a minute – this seemingly quiet spot holds a slice of Rockland County history. The Hopson-Swan Estate, now part of Tallman Mountain State Park, was developed between the 1850s and 1920s. The estate…

Pull over here for a sec; this unassuming red building witnessed the birth of a nation! The Smith Tavern, right here in Armonk, served as a crucial gathering place during the Revolutionary War. Local militia used this…

Prepare to be moved by a place where love for our animal companions is etched in stone: Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. In 1896, a New York City veterinarian, Dr. Samuel Johnson, allowed a grieving woman to bury her dog on his…

Imagine a place where justice echoed for over a century – that was the Westchester County Courthouse Complex. The complex evolved over time, starting with a courthouse built in 1857. Later, the Hall of Records was added…

This unassuming spot marks the end of a British spy's life and a pivotal moment in the American Revolution. Major John André, a British officer, was caught in 1780 conspiring with the American General Benedict Arnold to…

Imagine standing where George Washington himself strategized during the Revolutionary War. This is the DeWint House, one of his headquarters. Built around 1700 by Daniel DeClark, the house later became the property of…

Right here, in unassuming White Plains, lived a musical rebel! This is the former home and studio of Percy Grainger, an innovative composer and pianist who pushed the boundaries of music.Grainger, an Australian-born…

Pull over here and you're standing near the place where a global movement began! This is Stepping Stones, the home of Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Bill and his wife Lois lived here for decades. Bill…

Imagine the Hudson River School's vibrant landscapes coming to life right here! This is Ever Rest, the home and studio of Jasper Cropsey, a master of that iconic American art movement. Cropsey, already a successful…

Ever wonder where the first photos of the moon clear enough to identify features were taken? You're getting close! This is the site of the Henry Draper Observatory. Henry Draper, a physician and astronomer, built this…

Built in 1765, this house offers a glimpse into the lives of early settlers in Bergen County. The Forshee-Van Orden House was built around 1765. It's a tangible reminder of the families who shaped this region in the…

Prepare to be amazed by a story of innovation, triumph, and, surprisingly, demolition. This area was once home to Edwin H. Armstrong, a radio genius who shaped how we communicate today. Armstrong, inventor of FM radio,…

Get ready to cross a bridge that was once a record-breaker! The Bear Mountain Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened. In 1924, folks celebrated the completion of this impressive structure,…

Ever wondered where a Founding Father kicked back after shaping a nation? This is it: John Jay Homestead. John Jay, one of the authors of the Federalist Papers and the first Chief Justice of the United States, called…

Imagine lavish parties echoing through sculpted gardens – that's the legacy of Untermyer Park. Samuel Untermyer, a prominent lawyer, transformed his 1916 estate, Greystone, into a horticultural masterpiece. He hired…

Built in 1775, this stone house has witnessed the birth of a nation. The Isaac Naugle House, located on Hickory Lane, was built by a member of the Naugle family, likely Isaac, or his father Hendrick. Hendrick Naugle…

This seemingly peaceful spot on the Hudson was once the site of a brutal and pivotal battle in the fight for American independence. Fort Montgomery, built in 1776, was a key American stronghold designed to control the…

Likely built before 1778, this stone house stands as a silent witness to the American Revolution. The Tallman–Vanderbeck House, located on Piermont Road, was probably constructed by Cornelius Tallman. In the mid-19th…

This unassuming spot was once vital to the growth of Yonkers, providing clean water to its rapidly expanding population. In 1876, as Yonkers boomed, the Tuckahoe Road Pumping Station was built. It was expanded before…

Prepare to be amazed by Manitoga, a place where design and nature intertwine like nowhere else. This was the home and studio of Russel Wright, an influential industrial designer, and his wife Mary. From 1941 to 1961,…

Prepare to be amazed by the Graham House, a Modern masterpiece seemingly growing out of the Connecticut bedrock. Manhattan art dealer Robert Graham commissioned architect Eliot Noyes to design this unique home,…

Imagine colonial life in New York at the Bush-Lyon Homestead, with sections dating back to 1720! This house started as a simple, one-and-a-half story home. Over time, around 1800, it grew. A kitchen wing was added to…

This unassuming building holds the secrets of a financial giant! Metropolitan Life Insurance, one of the largest insurance companies in America, built this Hall of Records back in 1906 to house its growing mountain of…

Imagine life in early Colonial Connecticut. This unassuming saltbox house, the Thomas Lyon House, stands as a testament to those times. Built around 1739, it was home to Thomas Lyon, grandson of one of Fairfield…

Take a moment to reflect on the lives of African Americans who shaped this community, resting here at the Rye African-American Cemetery. In 1860, the Underhill family donated this land, ensuring it would forever be a…

Ever wish you could've seen the Stones in a more intimate venue? Well, you might have if you'd been at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester back in the day! Built in 1926, this place was originally a movie palace…

Imagine Yonkers as a bustling colonial hub, and right here stood the center of it all. Philipsburg Manor Hall was the heart of a vast estate owned by the Philipse family, powerful figures in colonial New York. The…

Yonkers once hummed with the electric energy of trolleys, and this massive brick building was at the heart of it all. Built in the early 1900s, the Yonkers Trolley Barn housed and maintained the city's trolley fleet.…

This unassuming house is a powerful symbol of resilience. The Skinny House in Mamaroneck was built in 1932 by Nathan Thomas Seely, an African-American carpenter. He lost his home to foreclosure and his company to…

Imagine summering in a castle overlooking the Hudson! That's what life was like for railroad tycoon William H. Osborn and his family at Castle Rock, built in 1881. Osborn, president of the Illinois Central Railroad,…

Pull over here for a second. This unassuming building played a part in one of the most daring escapes of the Revolutionary War. This is Putnam Cottage, but back then, it was Knapp Tavern, a popular spot on the Boston…

You're driving along a road with history beneath its wheels! You're close to the Old Albany Post Road, a section of one of the oldest roads in America. Back in the mid-1600s, this route began as Native American trails.…

Pull over for a second and imagine the roar of the crowd! Proctor's Theater in Yonkers was *the* place to be back in the day. Built between 1914 and 1916, it started as a vaudeville house, with live performances that…

Yonkers is a city etched with history, a place where the echoes of the past resonate with the pulse of contemporary life. From its vantage point overlooking the Hudson River, its elevation offering sweeping views of New…

Pull over here for a quick look at a house that's seen centuries go by. This stone building, the Daniel Demarest House, gives us a real peek into colonial life in New Jersey.Back in 1724, Daniel Demarest built this…

Pull over for a minute, because this unassuming house holds secrets from the birth of the nation. This is the Mandeville House, the oldest one standing in Garrison. Back in 1735, it was built as a simple farmhouse.…

Imagine a time when trains were the lifeblood of the Hudson Valley. Highland Falls Station, built in the 1880s, was a vital stop on the West Shore Railroad. Passenger trains regularly stopped here, connecting Highland…

Imagine shaping the future of women's rights from a quiet house in New Jersey! That's exactly what Elizabeth Cady Stanton did here in Tenafly. From 1868 to 1887, this was Stanton's home base. After years in Seneca Falls…

Prepare to step back in time to the Gilded Age, right here at Arden! This estate was once the heart of a vast empire built by railroad tycoon Edward Henry Harriman. By the early 1900s, Harriman had amassed an astounding…

Ever feel like you've stepped back in time? That's Garrison Landing for you. This whole district sprang up in the mid-1850s, right after the Hudson River Railroad laid its tracks. A local ferry company president built…

This unassuming stone house whispers tales of early life in Ridgewood. Built sometime between 1750 and 1760, the David Ackerman House offers a tangible connection to Bergen County's past. David Ackerman, likely the…

Imagine this quiet corner of Connecticut buzzing with artists, writers, and ideas! This is the Bush-Holley House, a place that helped shape American Impressionism. Built around 1730, it transformed into a boarding house…

Believe it or not, that unassuming structure played a vital role in bringing clean water to a growing region. Back in 1881, the Hackensack Water Company purchased this site, then just an island in the Hackensack River,…

Get ready to step back in time to an amusement park that's been thrilling families for almost a century: Playland! Back in 1927, Westchester County decided to build a public amusement park on the Long Island Sound. It…

Ever wonder what life was like in a fancy Gothic Revival house? You're near one now! The Hermitage, right here in Ho-Ho-Kus, is a fascinating example of 19th-century architecture. Elijah Rosencrantz Jr. commissioned the…

This unassuming spot was once Tenafly's vital link to the world, a bustling train station connecting this quiet town to the heart of New York City. For decades, the Erie Railroad's Northern Branch chugged through here,…

Ever wonder how early commuter trains powered their way into New York City? The answer lies partly in what's left of the Cos Cob Power Station. Built in 1907, this Spanish Revival-style building was a crucial part of…

Check out that bridge! It's more than just a way for trains to cross the Mianus River; it's a survivor from a bygone era of railroading. Back in 1904, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad replaced an older,…

You're crossing a piece of history: the Riverside Avenue Bridge, Connecticut's only cast-iron bridge. Originally part of a larger bridge built in 1871 over the Housatonic River, it was moved here in 1895 when the…

Imagine living in a gatehouse so charming, you decide to make it your forever home. That's the story of Normandy Grange. Evans Dick commissioned this Norman-style house and farm complex in the early 1900s. It was…

This isn't just a house; it's a snapshot of a family's rise and fall, and a village's changing fortunes. Jacob Sloat, a descendant of Sloatsburg's founder and a successful textile merchant, built this house, originally…

The oldest continuously occupied military post in America, established as a fortress during the Revolution and a military academy since 1802.

Catch a show at this beautifully preserved 1921 Spanish Revival movie theater! The Picture House, originally known as the Pelham Picture House, opened its doors in 1921. It was designed in the Spanish Revival style, a…

Imagine the echoes of children's laughter bouncing off these walls; this historic schoolhouse once educated generations of Ridgewood kids. Built in 1895, the Beech Street School, now known as the Ridgewood Education…

Imagine living in a house so grand, it felt like a self-contained world. That's the story of the Crocker-McMillin Mansion, right here in Mahwah. Built between 1903 and 1907, this 75-room mansion was originally…

Prepare to be amazed by a house that redefined modern architecture: the Glass House. Philip Johnson, a hugely influential architect, built this as his weekend retreat in 1948 and 1949. Johnson was deeply inspired by the…

Imagine a time before cars dominated the landscape; this area around Indian Brook Road offers a glimpse into that past. From the late 1700s to the mid-1900s, this crossroads was a rural hamlet, first known as Warrens,…

Pull over for a second. You're passing a piece of New Rochelle history, a house that's seen centuries go by. This is the Lispenard–Rodman–Davenport House, and it's the oldest residential building in the whole town.…

Prepare to be amazed by Leland Castle, a Gothic Revival masterpiece that whispers tales of Gilded Age extravagance. Constructed between 1855 and 1859, this castle was the country estate of Simeon Leland, a wealthy New…

This unassuming spot helped the Union win the Civil War. The West Point Foundry, established after the War of 1812, churned out iron goods here for nearly a century. But it was during the Civil War that the foundry…

Stamford, Connecticut, owes its modern character to a few key factors. Geographically, it sits on Long Island Sound with access to the Mianus River, a combination that made it attractive for early settlement and later,…

This unassuming spot helped change the course of the Civil War. Here stood Plumbush, the home of Robert Parker Parrott, the man who invented the Parrott gun. Parrott was superintendent of the West Point Foundry, just up…

Built in 1707, this house offers a glimpse into early colonial life in New Jersey. The Terhune–Gardner–Lindenmeyr House, located right here in Paramus, was built way back in 1707. Over the years, it was home to families…

Imagine living in a house designed by a famous architect! That's the story of The Grove, right here in Cold Spring. In the mid- 1800s, Dr. Frederick Lente, a surgeon at the West Point Foundry, commissioned Richard…

Get ready for a drive you won't forget! This isn't just a road; it's the Storm King Highway, carved right into the side of Storm King Mountain. Back in 1916, engineers achieved something remarkable. They blasted and…

Pull over for a sec...this humble building has seen generations come and go. It's the Smith Clove Meeting House, a Quaker place of worship that's been standing here since the early 1800s. Built by the local Quaker…

Imagine the clanging of hammers and the smell of hot iron filling the air – this unassuming building was once the heart of transportation in Nelsonville. H.D. Champlin started his horseshoeing and wagonmaking business…

Pull over for a sec, you gotta hear about this old building! It started as a house, but when the Orange Turnpike opened in 1802, it became the Checkerboard Inn. Back then, this area was booming with travelers using the…

Ever wished your town was designed to make life easier, especially with cars? You're near Radburn, New Jersey, a planned community from 1929 that tried to do just that. Radburn's planners, Clarence Stein and Henry…

Imagine navigating these waters without a reliable guide – that's why the Stamford Harbor Ledge Light was built! Construction began in 1882 to mark the dangerous Chatham Rock. It was completed and lit in that same year.…

Imagine stumbling upon a fairytale castle right here in Connecticut! That's the Marion Castle, also known as Terre Bonne, nestled on Shippan Point. Built around 1914, this French chateau-style home was the vision of…