County Farm
Why it's listed
Set on 352 acres along the north bank of the Mohawk River, this county farm is bisected by Canagara (Knauderack) Creek and bounded by wooded escarpments that shelter broad cropland. About twenty buildings cluster near the center. The main building is the Schenck homestead, a two-story, five-bay Federal brick house later given Victorian dormers, a Colonial Revival porch and rear wings. Two identical hip-roofed four-square residences from the turn of the century flank it, with sheds, garages and barns to the north, including a large hay barn with an octagonal silo. West of the creek stands a deteriorating Dutch-type barn altered with a Victorian cupola. The county bought the land in 1899 and 1937, and it has hosted welfare programs since 1899. The farm is valued for its ties to early Mohawk Valley settlement, its vernacular buildings and landscape, and a reported early seventeenth-century Mohawk village site that has never been excavated.
Significance in brief: The farm is significant for its association with county welfare programs since 1899 and with early Mohawk Valley settlement and prominent families such as the Schenck family. It has archaeological potential, including a documented but unexcavated Native American site. Its farm buildings show vernacular building methods and landscape design, notably the Federal Schenck homestead and the Dutch barn.
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 16000742, listed August 5, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N. Bank of Mohawk R, Fonda |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | August 5, 1982 |
| Reference number | 16000742 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal (Schenck homestead); New World Dutch-type barn; vernacular farm buildings |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Archeology, Architecture, Politics/Government, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The large Dutch-type barn is described as deteriorating; the property is a county farm with an associated county home complex. |
| Acreage | 352 |
| Coordinates | 42.89918, -74.48969 (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 16000742.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.