{"nrhp_refnum":"06000268","name":"Van Valkenburgh-Isbister Farm","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1129-1142 Columbia County Rte 22","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ghent","county":"Columbia County","state":"NY","lat":42.32096005000005,"lon":-73.69084108737016,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-04-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural farm complex of two historically linked parcels straddling Columbia County Route 22 in the Town of Ghent, Columbia County, New York. It has two frame dwellings (c. 1790/c. 1845 and c. 1840) and about fifteen outbuildings from the late 18th to early 20th century.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the farm offers a broad essay on vernacular domestic and agricultural architecture in the Town of Ghent. Its buildings include a Dutch-framed barn and outbuildings showing the shift from horse power to mechanized farming. Both parcels were under single ownership from 1832 to 1965, and under George Isbister the farm became one of the most highly valued in Ghent by 1875.","narrative":"Straddling County Route 22 in the Town of Ghent, this farm complex combines two associated parcels of about 22 acres in a rolling, still-rural Hudson Valley landscape. The main dwelling is an L-shaped frame house with a one-and-a-half-story rear block from about 1790 and a Greek Revival front section from about 1845. Across the road stands a frame upright-and-ell house built around 1840. Around them are roughly fifteen outbuildings, including a large barn whose core is a four-bay Dutch barn, a stone smokehouse, wagon sheds, carriage barns, a 1930s gas pump and a concrete block tractor barn. Together they trace the change from horse-drawn to gas-powered farming. Both parcels were held by one ownership from 1832 to 1965. George Isbister, who acquired the farm in 1865, built most of the barns after the Civil War, and by 1875 the farm was among the most highly valued in Ghent, with unusually diverse crops and livestock. The farm was listed for its architecture and its agricultural history.","period_of_significance":"c. 1790 - c. 1940","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid-19th Century: Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Both dwellings remain in domestic use; the Sherman parcel outbuildings are described as in outstanding condition, and one old shed on the other parcel is used as a studio.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:54.177158-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/06000268.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317117","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Valkenburgh%E2%80%93Isbister_Farm","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7913715"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/columbia-county/van-valkenburgh-isbister-farm-06000268/"}