Terwilliger House
Why it's listed
Set on open land at the fork of Hoagerburgh Road and Burnt Meadow Road, east of Bruynswick, this one-story frame house dates from about 1766 to 1800 and was built by the Terwilliger family. It has a stone foundation, a five-bay west front with a central sectioned Dutch door, and chimneys at both gable ends. Inside, a center hall divides two rooms on each side, and the cellar holds a massive chimney base and a cooking fireplace with bake oven. Some early beaded clapboards survive, and rear additions were made in the 1940s. The house is valued as a rare surviving eighteenth-century frame building that was enlarged and updated in the Federal period. Local histories cite a 1766 date and place it near the old Indian fort. Members of the Terwilliger family lived in Shawangunk from its earliest years, and this house appears to be their ancestral home. The nominated parcel covers about 68 acres of surviving family land.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare surviving eighteenth-century frame structure with distinctive vernacular Federal additions and alterations. Surviving early features include the remains of the enclosed stairway, the large cellar chimney base, the Dutch door and some beaded clapboard siding. Federal-period elements such as the tapered stair handrail, molded parlor mantel and symmetrical center-hall plan are also intact. It appears to be the ancestral home of the Terwilliger family in Shawangunk.
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 83001821, listed September 26, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Hoagerburgh Rd., Shawangunk |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | September 26, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001821 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; builder Terwilliger family |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, still used as a residence, with rear additions from the 1940s and no known threats. |
| Acreage | 68.1 |
| Coordinates | 41.64991, -74.20299 (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 83001821.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7705377
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.