LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 350th Anniversary of the Bronck
House

WHEREAS, Greene County, New York, known for its exquisite beauty, peace-
ful environment and spectacular views, is rich in history, especially
the areas first settled on the banks of the Hudson River, including the
Town of Coxsackie; and
WHEREAS, The Dutch were the first European settlers to land in present
day Greene County, arriving in the early part of the 17th Century and,
having been drawn to the fertile farmland, began building several farm-
steads; and
WHEREAS, Pieter Bronck and his wife, Hilletje Jans, hailing from Quak-
ebrugge, Holland were no exception, leaving their native country in the
mid-1600s to embark on a new life in the prosperous Dutch Colony of New
Netherland and eventually purchasing a small tract of land, in Coxsack-
ie, from the Native American Mohicans for two beaver skins; and
WHEREAS, In 1663 they built a house of stone in a cleared area that
was very likely a hunting ground for the Native Americans and had been
the site of controlled burns to keep the underbrush down for better deer
hunting; and
WHEREAS, The simple, sturdy, one-room, stone structure, originally
housing Pieter, Hilletje and their son, Jan, is an excellent example of
the utilitarian dwellings favored by many of the first Northern Europe-
ans to settle the valley; and
WHEREAS, After his death in 1669, Pieter's son continued to live at
the house, contributing to the rich history of the area by founding the
first Dutch Reformed Church in Greene County in Old Catskill and
Coxsackie; and
WHEREAS, Descendants of both Pieter and Jan carried on the family
legacy at the property for eight generations, building other dwellings
to accommodate their larger families, including Pieter's grandson, Leen-
dert and his wife, Anna de Wandelear, who, in 1738, built a handsome,
Dutch, brick dwelling adjacent to the old stone house; and
WHEREAS, By the time of the American War for Independence, the Bronck
family had already farmed their land at Coxsackie for 113 years and at
the time, it was in the hands of Pieter's great-grandson, Jan Leendert
and his son, Leonard, who were both active in the effort to secure Amer-
ican independence, pledging the family's wealth and considerable pres-
tige to the cause; and
WHEREAS, After the American Revolution, Leonard Bronck continued to be
active in government relations and public service, becoming a member of
the New York State Assembly and State Senate, and was instrumental in
formally establishing Greene County, where he later served as the First
Judge and was involved in the building of the County Courthouse in 1812;
and
WHEREAS, For 276 years, Pieter's descendents would pass the dwellings
and the accompanying farm directly from father to child until 1939, when
the last direct-line descendent willed 16 acres of the original property
to the Greene County Historical Society, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, Because of the stewardship of the Bronck family and the
Greene County Historical Society, descendents and the public are still
able to enter Pieter's door and walk Pieter's floors, 350 years after he
built them; and
WHEREAS, The Bronck Museum, as it is now known, provides tours of the
complex consisting of the dwellings of 1663 and 1738, a kitchen depend-
ency, a Northern European side-aisle barn, a thirteen-sided hay barn and
several Victorian agricultural buildings; and

WHEREAS, 2013 marks the 350th Anniversary of the building of the
original stone house, now the oldest existing house in the Hudson
Valley, very likely the oldest existing house in New York State, and is
designated as a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation
possible by the United States Secretary of the Interior; and
WHEREAS, The Greene County Historical Society, in an effort to honor
and acknowledge the many contributions of the Bronck Family to local
history, has planned events to mark the semiseptcentennial, including a
birthday party on Sunday, June 16th to honor the past, as well as empha-
size the Bronck Museum's commitment to the future with the opening of a
new, permanent exhibit devoted to the history of the Hudson River ice
industry; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize the significance of the Bronck Family to the history of
Coxsackie and all of Greene County and acknowledge the commitment of the
Greene County Historical Society in ensuring the Bronck House continues
to thrive for many more years to come; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Greene County Historical Society, Inc.