Friends of Lindenwald

10/19/2026

Join us this Thursday for an upcoming talk by Friends of Lindenwald board member & historian Gregg Berninger about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Join retired Professor of English Gregg Berninger for a lively discussion of Washington Irving’s classic tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Before attending, please read the original 1820 story so we can explore together its humor, memorable characters, and themes that are as relevant today as they were two hundred years ago. Come ready to ask your questions and share your thoughts to discover what makes this short story such an enduring American classic!

09/10/2026

The 2026 summer season began with a unique opportunity to share details of President Van Buren's Dutch heritage. Bart Lidjsman, a videographer from The Netherlands, spent a day in Kinderhook and toured Lindenwald on Memorial Day weekend. This Labor Day weekend, park rangers joined a visitor from The Netherlands to watch the completed interview following a Sunday house tour. We are excited to share the video with you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msXsTZSrhss

Image Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msXsTZSrhss
Image Description: A uniformed park ranger talks with a visitor in President Van Buren's dining room.

09/07/2026

When we think about Martin Van Buren’s home, it’s easy to picture the President, his family, and the many famous guests who passed through the doors.

But keeping a 36-room home and a 220-acre farm running required many hands. Domestic servants cooked meals, cleaned the house, did laundry, served guests, and helped keep the household running. Van Buren hired almost exclusively Irish women for this work, a pattern that reflected the larger community of Kinderhook, where Irish immigrant women made up much of the domestic workforce.

The farm relied on a diverse workforce of its own. Historical records show farm laborers at Lindenwald came from France, Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands, along with many men from across New York State. Black men were also part of the agricultural workforce at Lindenwald. Their presence was part of a much longer history of Black agricultural labor in the Hudson Valley. New York’s Black communities had deep roots in the region, shaped in part by generations of people who had been enslaved in New York before the state’s gradual abolition of slavery was completed in 1827.

Every part of the estate depended on their work. Their labor helped provide the home and setting that allowed former president Van Buren to remain socially and politically relevant well into his retirement.

Image: Artist's depiction of the Van Buren era Lindenwald landscape, showing the north orchard in the bottom right.
Original by S.N. Patricia (1996), updated in 2016 by Eric D. Whiting (NPS / Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Collection)

08/22/2026

07/31/2026

"My dear Mat,"

That was how Smith Thompson Van Buren began a letter to his older brother, Martin Van Buren Jr., on July 31, 1839, offering a glimpse into the busy social life of the Van Buren family.

Writing from Albany, Smith described the family's recent stop in Kinderhook, where they enjoyed "a capital dinner of fricassee and ham, washed down with ch*****ne" at the Van Ness estate, President Van Buren had recently purchased. The family had even begun searching for a new name for the property, with "The Locusts" emerging as the favorite because of the many locust trees surrounding the house.

Among those gathered for the occasion was "Prince John from Albany," a playful nickname for Martin Van Buren's son, John Van Buren. The moniker was a tongue-in-cheek reference to John's celebrated trip to England the previous year, where he attended Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838 and became known for his polished manners, fashionable dress, and active social life among British high society.

Smith's letter continued with plans for Saratoga Springs, where the United States Hotel was already overflowing with visitors. He urged his brother to come soon, promising to reserve him a room before the crowds grew even larger, adding that rumors were spreading of a great gathering of "youth & beauty."

These personal letters offer a glimpse into the lives of the Van Buren family beyond politics, revealing their travels, friendships, humor, and the close bond between the brothers.

Image 1: East elevation or front of the house sketch of the 1797 Van Ness home that became Martin Van Buren's Lindenwald. NPS Photo, Cultural Landscape Report.

07/24/2026

07/16/2026

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site will be reopening for tours on July 17. Although the landscape of the site has changed dramatically due to the recent wind event, the historic house remains the same.

If you haven’t been on a tour recently, nows the time to revisit our local national treasure & show support for the park & its wonderful staff.

UPDATE: Lindenwald Reopens for Tours July 17

We are pleased to announce that Martin Van Buren National Historic Site will reopen to the public for tours of Lindenwald beginning Friday, July 17, 2026. Tours are offered Friday - Sunday at 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm on a first-come, first-served basis.

While tours will resume, portions of the site will remain closed as maintenance staff and arborists continue the important work of removing trees damaged during the intense wind event on July 2. For their safety, visitors are asked to stay out of all closed areas.

On the evening of July 2, winds estimated at more than 60 mph swept through the park, damaging more than 100 trees throughout the historic core. The Lindenwald mansion and South Gatehouse sustained minor damage from wind-borne branches, but thankfully no one was injured.

Over the past two weeks, Martin Van Buren NHS maintenance staff, with assistance from the team at Roosevelt-Vanderbilt Historic Sites in Hyde Park, NY, have worked tirelessly to clear downed trees and make the site safe for visitors.

The recovery effort will continue in the weeks ahead. Arborists and sawyers from other National Park Service units will join the team to remove some of the largest damaged trees. Several of these trees measure more than 80 feet tall and 30 inches in diameter and require specialized equipment and training to safely remove.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue this important work to protect visitors, preserve Lindenwald’s historic landscape, and restore the grounds following this significant storm event.

07/10/2026

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site remains closed due to cleanup efforts from the historic wind event at the property.

UPDATE: Cleanup efforts continue at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site following the severe storm that struck the evening of July 2, 2026. At this time, the park grounds, Visitor Center, and Lindenwald remain closed to the public while crews work to safely remove storm damage. We will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.

The storm damaged or knocked down more than 100 trees, including several that stood over 100 feet tall. These larger trees require a team of skilled arborists using specialized equipment to safely remove them before additional cleanup can continue.

Most of the damaged trees are located within the historic core of the site and are individually documented in the park's Cultural Landscape Report (CLR). The CLR identifies each tree by species, estimates its age, and provides recommendations for its long-term preservation. National Park Service landscape architects, arborists, and horticulturists will use this information to develop a long-term plan to restore the historic landscape.

Several of Lindenwald's historic trees that were present during Martin Van Buren's lifetime -known as "witness trees”- survived the storm with little to no damage. These include the sprawling sycamore believed to have been planted in the late 18th century, a historic lilac, and several Eastern White Pines. A young mulberry tree, propagated as a clone of a witness tree that once stood directly behind Lindenwald, also survived.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to safely restore Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. We will continue to share updates as recovery progresses.

07/06/2026

The house & grounds of Martin Van Buren National Historic Site remains closed due to the significant damage caused by the wind event of last week.
We’re grateful to all of the rangers & grounds crew that are working hard to clean up the damage & reopen the park.

The grounds of Martin Van Buren NHS, visitor center, and the Lindenwald mansion are temporarily closed to the public as we recover from an intense wind event that occurred on the evening of July 2. There was no significant impact to Lindenwald mansion or any other structures, but a significant number of trees were damaged. Crews are working diligently to clear trees and debris and the site will re-open as soon as it's safe.

07/03/2026

The Martin Van Buren Trails on Route 9H in Kinderhook, NY are currently closed due to the recent storm. We need to clear up the damage and remove the limbs and trees that are blocking the trails.