Cornell-Manchester Farmstead
Why it's listed
Along Lower Pine Valley Road in eastern Pittstown, this 141-acre farmstead includes two groups of buildings, each centered on a 19th-century frame house. The eastern house began as a wing built around 1820-40, gained a second wing before 1850, and was remodeled about 1900 into a two-family dwelling with Queen Anne porches. Nearby stand a hewn-frame tool barn and grain house, a pig house, a blacksmith's shop, a brick smokehouse and an oat barn, all built by the Manchester family. A western house dates to about 1860. After Ira Cornell bought the farm in 1940, his family added hen houses, hay sheds, corn cribs and garages. Of 25 resources, 18 are counted as contributing. About 40 percent of the land remains open for tillage, hay and grazing. The property is listed because its buildings and land show how one farm evolved across several generations of two families, from the early 1800s into the later twentieth century.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the farm as a long-running family farmstead. Generations of the Manchester family and then the Cornell family worked it, and the surviving houses and outbuildings document changing agricultural practice from the early 1800s through the mid-20th century. The Cornells' post-1940 poultry, hay and corn buildings add to this record. The farm is part of the Pittstown Farmsteads group.
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 12000832, listed October 3, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 292 Lower Pine Valley Rd., Hoosick Falls |
|---|---|
| County | Rensselaer County |
| Listed | October 3, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000832 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The farm is still worked by the Cornell family. About 40% of the land remains open, tilled, hayed or grazed, and the east house is a family home. The blacksmith's shop is deteriorated. |
| Acreage | 134 |
| Coordinates | 42.87768, -73.43182 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 12000832.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q23091479
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.