[ Up ] [ Cottage ] [ Museum ]
A Cottage on a Hillside
The home of the author-hero of the American Revolution
originally stood at the top of the hill on the south side of what
is now Paine Avenue. It was one of a number of buildings located
on the farm of some 300 acres given to Paine by the State of New
York in 1784 in recognition of his services in the Revolutionary
War and for the cause of liberty. The main structure was built
on order of Paine and the present easterly section by Paine in
1804. It was here in August 1805 that he wrote his last pamphlet
about constitutional reform in Pennsylvania and pondered the federalist/republican
controversy which rocked the developing nation as he neared the
end of his productive and dedicated life. The engraving above
is of an image made when the home was still in its original location.
Preservation of the Cottage
The erection of the Paine Monument in 1839 was followed by several
attempts to preserve, as an additional priceless memorial, the
cottage in which he had lived. One of the most ambitious of these
was in 1850 when the cottage itself was purchased and a considerable
portion of the farm were purchased. This project was later abandoned
and the property sold. It was not until 1908 that efforts to preserve
the cottage were successful. In that year it became necessary
to move it to a new location or to demolish it. The owner, Charles
W. See, was induced to present it to the Huguenot Historical Association
of New Rochelle. This generous act is recorded in a letter dated
May 4, 1908.
Three weeks after this gift, on May 24, 1908, the then Huguenot
Historical Association of New Rochelle approved the purchase of
the park in which the cottage now stands, which was a portion
of the Paine farm. The cottage was removed to its present site,
repaired and fitted as a museum and historic site. The photograph
above was taken just after it was moved down from the hill and
prior to restoration. The Thomas
Paine Monument can be seen in the extreme left background.It
was dedicated on July 14, 1910, and formally opened to the public.
The image below is as it looked after painting and repair some
years ago.
Cottage hours are:
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
© THOMAS PAINE NATIONAL HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
|
Thomas
Paine National Historical Association