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Mobile Audio Tour

Senate House

  • 296 Fair Street, Kingston, NY 12401 www.palisadesparksconservancy.org
  • Shortly after Kingston became New York's first capital in the summer of 1777, local shopkeeper Abraham Van Gaasbeek rented out a room in his house to the newly created state senate
  • That October, the government and local residents fled the city when the British attacked and burned it
  • The Van Gaasbeek house survived the fire and now interprets the birth of New York State set against the turbulent backdrop of the Revolution
  • The historic house contains 18th-century furnishings, a re-created Colonial kitchen, and the restored senate chamber
  • The adjacent museum showcases regional art and artifacts, including an important collection of 19th-century paintings by Kingston native John Vanderlyn