Windswept Farm
Why it's listed
Windswept Farm is an eighty-acre working farm on Sunset Trail in Clinton, Dutchess County, New York. Its main building is a five-bay, timber frame farmhouse built in 1823 by Amos Lyon for his new bride, on land his family had held since 1782. The house follows a center-hall plan and carries Federal style details, including a trabeated doorway, an elliptical arch on the porch, and carved mantels and door surrounds. Three contributing outbuildings survive: a mid-nineteenth-century dairy barn with a cupola, a smaller heavy-timber barn, and a cider mill. Later changes include a 1958 kitchen, a deck, and a dormer. The farm reflects the diverse agriculture of Dutchess County, with hay, grain, apples and cider, and later dairying. It is notable as an early farmhouse that keeps most of its original farmland and rural setting, which is why it was listed for architecture and agriculture.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the farm as an intact example of a nineteenth-century Hudson Valley farm with a vernacular Federal farmhouse and historic outbuildings. The house represents a regional type common in the mid-Hudson Valley, with finely crafted Federal woodwork. The farm is also one of few early farmhouses in the county still joined to its historic tract and still in agricultural use.
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 89001390, listed September 7, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Sunset Trail, Clinton |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | September 7, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001390 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1823-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Amos Lyons |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The farm remains in agricultural production and the house is a single-family dwelling. The main barns and cider mill have been maintained and remain in use. |
| Acreage | 79.6 |
| Coordinates | 41.85213, -73.80464 (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 89001390.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8024778
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.