17th Century Dutch Architecture

The summer potluck dinner meeting of the Stephentown Historical Society will be Monday, July 12, at 6:30 pm at the Stephentown Firehall, 35 Grange Hall Road, Stephentown. Those attending should bring a hearty appetite and a dish large enough to share, either main dish, salad or dessert. Plates, utensils and beverages will be provided. The event is free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible. For directions, telephone 518-733-5675.
After dinner, Walter Wheeler will present an illustrated talk on 17th century Dutch vernacular architecture. Historians and researchers have long lacked the tools which would facilitate the creation of an adequate picture of how the first European-American immigrants lived in the upper Hudson Valley. Archeological excavations of the past forty years have brought to light remains of several 17th century structures located within the bounds of present day Albany. Among these are the A. van Curler house and the Schuyler house at Schuyler Flatts, several houses within the Fort Orange site and, most recently, the house associated with the brick kiln near the Quackenbush house. The building methods, materials and technologies used in the construction of these structures have been revealed by these archeological excavations. When the results of these investigations are combined with information culled from contemporary documents and historic graphic materials, a clearer picture of the development of a regional New World European building style can be assembled. Wheeler is Senior Architectural Historian at Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc., in Rensselaer.