House at New Forge
Why it's listed
Built around 1850, this two-story, five-bay frame house on New Forge Road in Taghkanic, Columbia County, is the only substantial surviving building of the former mill hamlet of New Forge. It has a center-hall plan, a one-story west service wing, exaggerated cornice returns, broad corner pilasters and an entrance with sidelights. Inside, original room layouts, simple Greek Revival mantelpieces, molded trim and a turned-baluster staircase remain. Most rural houses of the period were one and one-half stories, so its full two-story height sets it apart. The house went up when the hamlet was prosperous, with mills, a store, a blacksmith shop and an inn, on land tied to the Livingston family, whose ironworks, called the Maryburgh Forges, were established there around 1755. A privy also survives. The 12-acre property also holds the sites of the forges, a manor house and later mills, which have not yet been evaluated. The house was restored in 1985-86.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a distinctive, well-preserved example of rural Greek Revival domestic architecture, notable for its full two-story scale and finely crafted interior and exterior detail. It is also the sole surviving above-ground remnant of the mill hamlet of New Forge, which grew from the Livingston family's eighteenth-century Maryburgh Forges. The surrounding sites of forges, a manor house and mills are unevaluated but protected within the boundary.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87002143, listed December 14, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 128 New Forge Rd., New Forge |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | December 14, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87002143 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied private residence in good condition; restored in 1985-86. A barn and machine shed were lost in 1987. |
| Acreage | 12 |
| Coordinates | 42.10701, -73.67492 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87002143.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5914530
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.