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Senate House, Kingston, NY During the early tumultuous days of the American Revolution in the Hudson Valley, a room in this Dutch stone house served as the first senate chamber of the New York State legislature. Originally a single-story dwelling built in 1676, it was later enlarged by shopkeeper Abraham Van Gaasbeek, who rented out a room to the newly created New York State Senate in September 1777. A month later, the government was forced to flee Kingston when the British moved upriver to aid the besieged army of General John Burgoyne at Saratoga and torched the nascent capital. The house's wide-plank floors, low ceilings, and large fireplaces remain. The two main rooms contain 18th-century furniture, as well as portraits by Nehemiah Partridge and Pieter Vanderlyn, two of America's early artists. An adjacent museum features portraits by Ammi Phillips, Thomas Sully, and others, as well as locally made furniture, landscapes, and historic artifacts. An entire room is devoted to the life and work of Kingston native John Vanderlyn (1775-1852), who was one of the emerging nation's prominent artists. |
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