the home of Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren bought this house and 137 acres of land two miles south of Kinderhook, New York, in 1839, while serving as President of the United States. He moved into the house after losing his bid for re-election and immediately began making improvements to the estate and acquiring more property until, after six years, he owned almost 225 acres. It was from the house that Van Buren ran both of his unsuccessful bids for another term as President (in 1844 and 1848). After the second attempt Van Buren settled into the life of a gentleman farmer known for cultivating new varities of vegetables. He began making improvements to the house after his son Smith moved in with his family in 1849.

Named for the linden trees that once lined the Albany-to-New York Post Road, Lindenwald remained Van Buren's home until his death on July 24, 1862. It was subsequently bought and sold several times until being acquired by the National Park Service. Established on October 26, 1974, the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site preserves the house as it looked during Van Buren's residency and 22 acres of the original estate, including part of the original PostRoad and its linden trees. Its official website is https://www.nps.gov/mava/index.htm.

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This page was last updated on June 07, 2017.