Woodruff House
Why it's listed
This small stone farmhouse on Route 32 in Cornwall-on-Hudson, Orange County, was probably built around 1830. It is a one-and-a-half-story, three-bay house with a side-hall plan, built of uncoursed fieldstone, with larger stones set at the corners of the front facade like quoins. A twentieth-century frame addition at the rear holds a modern kitchen. Inside, the house keeps wideboard floors, hand-hewn ceiling beams, two fireplaces with Federal period mantels, early plaster and original woodwork. The original kitchen was in the cellar, where a Dutch oven opening is still visible. The earliest recorded mention of the house is an 1856 deed, when Benjamin Woodruff, an early settler, sold the house and farm to Patrick McGonigal. It was listed for its architecture. It contrasts with the larger two-story Federal and Greek Revival houses of its time and shows that Cornwall's stone building tradition continued into the nineteenth century. The house remains a single-family home.
Significance in brief: The house is significant under Criterion C as a representative example of the vernacular dwelling type built in Cornwall from 1734 to 1830. It is a rare intact stone farmhouse with Federal period detailing from the post-Revolutionary period. It retains much of its original form, framing, floor plan, chimney and interior woodwork.
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 96000156, listed March 8, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NY 32, Cornwall-on-Hudson |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | March 8, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000156 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1830 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular (Federal period detailing) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Remains in use as a single-family dwelling; retains a high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.44907, -74.05773 (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 96000156.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8033240
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.