This morning I took a short drive to nearby Kinderhook, New York, to visit Lindenwald, the home of the United States' 8th president Martin Van Buren. Did you know that Van Buren was the first president to be born under the U.S. flag? The previous seven presidents were born prior to the American Revolution and were therefore British subjects. Van Buren was also the nation's first president who spoke English as a second language, having grown up speaking Dutch.
Van Buren served as Secretary of State and then Vice President under Andrew Jackson before winning the 1836 election. Van Buren spent one term as President, serving from 1837 to 1841. It was during this time that Van Buren purchased an old Dutch estate in his hometown of Kinderhook, giving it the name Lindenwald. The above portrait of Van Buren hangs in the formal parlor.
During the tour I managed to snap a handful of photos (both digital and film, the latter to perhaps be shared at a later date), but didn't get too carried away. Taking photos can sometimes be a distraction and I didn't want that to take away from the experience at hand. The tour guide led us through three floors and there was much to see - more of which was committed to memory rather than snapshots. Below, however, are a few glimpses of what one would see upon visiting Lindenwald:
Bust of Van Buren in the Lindenwald library
A staircase leading to the second floor
A guest bedroom
President Van Buren's bedroom
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9 comments:
Oh how stunning. I love house museums - they give such a personalised insight into a time.
Great photos! Thank you for sharing these! When I was in 5th grade, each student was given a U.S. president to research for a report, and I had Martin Van Buren. I remember having to make a paper doll of him, too, with a black felt suit and cotton hair =)
Ha, I would never say I was "up on presidential nicknames," but I do enjoy poking around historical houses. It's a funny little house from the outside, isn't it? Is that a bell tower coming out the back? Anyway, this looks like a perfect summer activity!
By the looks of it, you had a marvelously pretty day! I simply love going to museums and visiting old places, but no one really likes tagging along!
♥ laura
the blog of worldly delights
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, such beautiful images.
I love visitng these kinds of places! Have you been to the Mark Twain house?
It's strange that the house of the 8th president still exists...sounds like such a long time ago..
Wow this is so beautiful. I would love to go somewhere like that, It must have been such an interesting trip.
You are such a history geek, I love it. I live right near President Benjamin Harrison's home. Apparently they have a Fourth of July ice cream social every year. I'll have to hit up a tour sometime.
The light in the guest bedroom photo is beautiful. Spooky, underexposed, beautiful and divine. I love it. Really enjoyed this post, Emily. And I like that you consciously didn't take too many photos. Sometimes people take so many photos, they might as well just take video!
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