Halford-Hayner Farmstead
Why it's listed
This 80-acre farmstead on Cooksboro Road in Pittstown, Rensselaer County, preserves a house and a group of farm buildings spanning roughly 1800 to the early twentieth century. The one-and-a-half-story frame house, built about 1835-50, has Greek Revival-style trim. The main barn group centers on an early nineteenth-century Dutch-influenced swing beam threshing barn with a hewn frame. A sheep barn, milk house and two-story hen house are attached to it. Nearby are a wagon and tool barn, a hay barn, an ice house, a probable pig house and a concrete block shop garage from about 1915. The land was part of a tract sold by Michael Vandercook the Elder to his son Henry in 1784, and the Hayner family later farmed it for generations. The property was listed for its intact collection of agricultural buildings, which show regional building practices and the adaptation of older structures to changing farm needs, and for its long association with local agriculture. Seven buildings and structures are counted as contributing.
Significance in brief: The farmstead is judged an intact and representative example of a historic Pittstown farm under Criterion C, with an assemblage of agricultural buildings showing regional construction methods from about 1800 to the early twentieth century. It also shows how later generations adapted earlier buildings to new needs. It has additional significance under Criterion A for its long role in regional agriculture.
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 12001132, listed January 2, 2013. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 346 Cooksboro Rd., Troy |
|---|---|
| County | Rensselaer County |
| Listed | January 2, 2013 |
| Reference number | 12001132 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1800-1962 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic; Mid-19th Century (house with Greek Revival-style trim) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-family dwelling with agricultural fields and outbuildings; the wagon/tool barn was stabilized in 2010-11 with a state grant. |
| Acreage | 80.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.80817, -73.59044 (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 12001132.
- 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.