The Salyer House History & Exhibition

Built in the last quarter of the 18th century, the Salyer House was the original home of Michael and Elizabeth Salyer and their four daughters. Daughter Mary Salyer inherited the house in 1810 and kept the property with husband David Bogert until 1825. After this, the house was owned by many different families including the DeClarks, Blauvelts, and Hoppers. In 1966, the house was bought by the Spring Valley Water Company (United Water), and was lived in by the families who worked for the Company, until it was donated to the Town of Orangetown in 1992 to be used as a museum. Opening to the public in 1996, the Salyer House was the Museum’s first home and was listed on the National Register of Historic Place in 2003. In 2008, after extensive renovations, the Salyer House reopened with A Spy in Our Midst - Major John André, Our Dutch Sandstone Houses, and Our Dutch Families our permanent three-part exhibition. Tours of the Salyer House are conducted by appointment.

A Spy in Our Midst at The Salyer House

Vincit Amor Patriae - this motto, ‘the love of country conquers’ is inscribed on the silver medal awarded to the men who prevented Major John André from accomplishing an act of espionage that might have altered the outcome of American history. Michael and Elizabeth Salyer, the original inhabitants of this house, would have been keenly aware of the dramatic events surrounding the capture and subsequent execution of André in Tappan on October 2nd, 1780. Only a few years before the horrific Baylor Massacre of 1778 had occurred just west of Tappan. American Dragoons were brutally killed by the British as they slept—stabbed repeatedly with bayonets and clubbed to death without heed to requests for quarter, (mercy to be granted surrendering foe). In this highly charged and emotional atmosphere where the pursuit of liberty was dangerous and the war’s outcome yet undecided, the André affair played a crucial part in our nation’s history. Had the collaboration between Major John André and Benedict Arnold been successful - had the fortifications at West Point been surrendered to the British there might have been a different outcome to the war. Still, history is conflicted as it reflects on the loss of André, a gentleman soldier who faced death as a brave man, leaving many to reflect on the tragedy of war. A Spy in Our Midst examines this historical dilemma.

Our Dutch Families at The Salyer House

The culture of Orangetown has been intrinsically linked to the Netherlands since its very inception; it was a destination for Dutch colonists after British takeover in 1664. The patent was signed in 1686 by Dutch farmer’s from Manhattan’s Bowery looking for greater autonomy from British rule. Descendants of these early settlers prospered, thrived, and stayed in Orangetown; their impact has been significant. Our Dutch Families explores the generations of these settlers that have contributed to making Orangetown what it is today. The Dutch Merchant Wearing a Falling Lace Collar reminds us to remember those that came before us and the Hand Carved Wooden Bible Boxes evokes the importance of preserving written records. Family heirlooms, such as the Toongast (Kas) Dutch Cupboard permits us to embrace objects of the past into the present.  Our Dutch Families demonstrates the significance of maintaining cultural identity while also adapting to a new and rapidly changing society at home in Orangetown throughout the 17th to 20th centuries.

Our Dutch Sandstone Houses at The Salyer House

Stonemasons and carpenters were the first builders of our Dutch Sandstone houses. There were few trained architects and professional builders among the Dutch in the modern sense. The average Dutch farmhouse was erected by the owner, with help from his family and neighbors, and in some cases indentured servants and slaves. Built with native sandstone, the stone was cut and drawn from nearby quarries, many along the Palisades. The binding was mud or clay or a combination of both. The stones that faced the front were cut in a smoother, more even manner while the three remaining walls would have been rough cut. The Dutch settled primarily near the rivers and creeks and generally built their homes facing south. A notable feature was the combination of various building materials - stone, shingle, clapboard, brick, and iron harmoniously used in one house. These one and a half story houses created with a steep roof and rough stone walls of substantial size with stepped gables were different from anything seen before. The gambrel roof came into use in the middle of the eighteenth century. This is a roof with two slopes on each side, the lower steeper than the upper. This Dutch combination of slopes and curved, overhanging eaves is easily recognizable and come to form a distinctive architecture. Our Dutch sandstone houses still exist today due to the care and attention of their modern owners - the Dutch in American created an individual and charming architecture that, in preservation, connects us with our past.