History Comes Alive at Philipsburg Manor in Lower Hudson Valley, NY

One of several historic landmarks amid the lush greenery of Sleepy Hollow in lower Westchester County, NY is Philipsburg Manor, a living history museum that was once a late 17th/early 18th-century milling, farming and trading complex. In 1693, a charter for 52,000 acres along the Hudson River was granted to Frederick Philipse, a carpenter who went on to become the richest man in the colony of New York. The site became particularly interesting because of the size of the slave community it housed, as well as the highly developed nature of the commercial property itself.

The Philipse family, merchants originating from Holland, owned the land where tenant farmers raised crops and animals, cultivated the land, and milled flour for trading overseas. The Philipses were master traders, and heavily involved in politics. They wrote many of the slavery laws back then, and held a monopoly on wheat and wheat by-products, enabling them to continue thriving in their business. Using the flour produced by the mill, the farmers were able to trade for spices, cloth, sugar, tools and almost anything else they needed from lands as far away as the West Indies. By 1750, there were 23 slaves living and working on the site.

The grounds contain four buildings. They include the Manor House, the center of the Philipses’ business operations in Westchester, the gristmill, representing the hub of the Philipse family’s enterprise, the tenant house, which suggests the type of living quarters some tenant farmers would have inhabited, and an 18th-century Dutch barn, designed to suit the region’s agricultural emphasis on grain crops. The barn and Manor House are original colonial buildings; the tenant house is a new building, and the mill is a reconstruction based on archaeological evidence. There is also a “slave garden” to demonstrate the types of crops that slaves often grew and used. The crops helped supplement the rations slaves received from their owners, as well as produced herbs for medicinal and other uses.

If you go, check in at the Visitor Center first. There you’ll pay your admission fee and receive a schedule of the day’s events, and the option to view a video about the Manor. The schedule changes daily, and includes such events as a milling station discussion, rye harvest, herb uses, wool processing and oxen demonstrations, and garden tours. All of the demonstrations were informative, and the guides put an interesting, personal spin on the historical aspects and issues of living, working and surviving in the 18th century in such a rural area. Even non-history buffs will enjoy them. All of the personnel are dressed in period clothing, adding to the authentic feel of the site, and they were all able to answer our various questions throughout the day. There are also several historic breeds of cattle, chickens and sheep roaming the grounds, though they are working animals and therefore not used to being petted or fed by visitors, so please refrain. A cooking demonstration brewed up some chicken stew and cornbread, with vegetables and herbs picked directly from the garden and cooked in a Dutch oven over an open fire. Though visitors can’t dine on the handmade lunch, and eating on the grounds is prohibited because of hazards to the animals, there is a cafeteria in the Visitor Center and tables in a greenhouse and outside for dining. Gourmet sandwiches and salads, breakfast breads, quiches, beverages and desserts are available and range in price from $2 to $10. Visitors can also bring their own lunches and eat them at picnic tables outside.

Children from age 2 �½ and up will enjoy a day trip to Philipsburg Manor. Younger ones will like the animals and cooking demonstration; older ones will appreciate the historic facts about children living on the site in the 18th century and the period-dress of the staff. There is a changing table available in the handicapped restroom in the Visitor Center.

Philipsburg Manor opens at 10 a.m. and at 10:30 on a Saturday was still relatively quiet. By 12:30, the Visitor Center had filled with people arriving, browsing the gift shop and standing in line for food, and the parking lot was filling with school and tour buses as well as cars. But guides assist with finding a parking spot, and lines move quickly despite the small space inside the Visitor Center.

Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $6 children ages 5-17, and children under 5 are free. Philipsburg Manor is located on Route 9 in Sleepy Hollow. For information, hours of operation, directions and special event calendar, call (914) 631-8200, ext. 618 or visit www.hudsonvalley.org.