Exclusive Tour of Upper Red Hook's two most historic homes

Threads of local culture and Revolutionary War events are woven together in this revealing tour for six of Upper Red Hook’s two most historic houses. Dutchess County historian Will Tatum begins by introducing you to the gambrel-roofed Lyle House. Thought to be built in the 1760s, it was first home to lawyer Henry Lyle and his family. In the 1850s, it was purchased by noted mid-19th Century portraitist Edward Ludlow Mooney, whose large paintings of his sister, Anne Maria (Mooney) Pier and Benjamin, her husband, grace the Elmendorph Inn’s south room. The house sits prominently above Spring Lake Road, opposite the imposing brick Thomas House (also built circa 1760s, possibly by the same builder). As the British burned Kingston (before crossing the Hudson River to torch Clermont), General Israel Putnam commandeered the house (then a tavern) for his headquarters. The owners of the two homes will offer peeks at the historic interiors of their homes, rarely seen by outsiders. To be scheduled at a mutually convenient time. Contact information will be provided to the winning bidder.