Horton, Joseph, House
Why it's listed
Built between 1752 and 1755, this one-and-one-half-story farmhouse on New Hackensack Road in Dutchess County, New York, is a Dutch vernacular dwelling with a flaring gambrel roof, a front porch and a brick-veneered three-bay facade. Its heavy timber frame rests on a mortared fieldstone cellar, and a kitchen wing was added by 1795. Inside, the house keeps winder stairs, exposed beams, paneled fireplace walls and wide pine flooring. Joseph Horton, who came from Long Island, built it on what was then a 250-acre farm; it was sold to John Cooke in 1760 and to William Seward in 1795. The house is considered significant as the earliest known surviving house in New Hackensack and as a rare, intact example of a house type more typical of northern New Jersey. Three wells, two stone walls and nineteenth-century archaeological remains also contribute to the 2.03-acre property, which remains a private residence.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be a largely intact example of a mid-eighteenth-century Dutch house type more common in northern New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley. It is also the earliest known surviving house in New Hackensack and documents the first settlement of Dutchess County's interior. Its form, construction and floor plan could also yield information on regional and ethnic variation in Dutch vernacular building.
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 88000916, listed November 2, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NY 376, New Hackensack Rd., New Hackensack |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | November 2, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000916 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | circa 1750-1900 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built by Joseph Horton, who arrived from Long Island, according to the form) |
| Architectural style | Dutch Colonial (Dutch vernacular) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single-family dwelling; the form notes it retains a high degree of historical integrity. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 41.62317, -73.87147 (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 88000916.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6284078
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.