Rushmore Farm is a historic home located at Athens in Greene County, New York. It is a -story, six-bay-wide by two-bay-deep stone dwelling surmounted by a steep gable roof. It was built in two sections during the late 18th century and early 19th century and features an overlay of Greek Revival details. Also on the property is a contributing stone smokehouse. ()
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
Location & Description
Rushmore Farm is located in the town of Athens, near the eastern border of Greene County, The ninety-five acre farm is a long and narrow parcel of land generally bordered by two major north–south transportation features: US 9W on the west and the Conrail railroad tracks on the east. Both of these routes parallel the Hudson River, which is east of the tracks. The nominated property is characterized by woodland, mature trees, a pond, and a landscaped yard. Its highest elevation is along the western boundary, while the land drops off sharply to the east, toward the flats along the river. To the north/northeast of the farm are the Athens Flats; known to be a Native American area used for feeding and watering animals on the way to the Hudson River from the flint ridge located to the northwest/west of the house. A small portion of the Athens Flats is located on this property. The Rushmore property was once much larger, and the nominated ninety-five acre parcel has been defined by numerous land transactions from the late 18th century until the 1970s, when it reached its current size. Much of the original acreage outside the nomination boundary is still actively farmed. Land in the Athens Flats too wet for farming remains uncultivated. Some of the former property along US 9W has been divided off and developed with residences and commercial properties. An easement to the New York Power and Light Company (now National Grid) cuts through the northeast comer of the property. The Rushmore graveyard, a non-contiguous parcel owned by Greene County, is located south of the property along the edge of US 9W and is separated from the farm by intermediate development. The cemetery is not included in this nomination.
The entrance to the property is a long gravel driveway from US 9W leading to the building complex, which is located in a small landscaped clearing. Buildings include a stone farmhouse, an early stone smokehouse, a non-historic wood-frame garage, and a small non-historic shed built on the footprint of an earlier milk house. In the fields to the southwest of the house are foundations of a silo and a barn. The latter have not been evaluated for their archeological potential. There is a large stand of locust trees east of the house. The nomination includes two contributing and two non-contributing features. The foundations have not been counted.
The Rushmore Farm House
The Rushmore farmhouse is a -story, six-bay-wide by two-bay-deep stone residence surmounted by a steeply pitched gable roof. Interior stone chimneys pierce the gable ends. The residence, which faces south, was built in two sections, in the late 18th century and early 19th century, and features an overlay of Greek Revival period decoration. The house was built into the side of a hill so that the southeast face of the basement is exposed. The building was constructed of uncoursed fieldstone with a mortar joint that was tooled to obtain a distinctive V-shaped pattern. The façade appears to have been whitewashed at one time and there are large areas where the original mortar has been replaced with Portland cement. The house features a standing-seam metal roof, overhanging eaves, a projecting wood cornice with returns, and a wide wooden frieze. Two gabled dormers on the south elevation were added at a later, unknown date.
The western half of the house was built first and apparently dates to the last quarter of the 18th century. The original structure was three bays wide with a center entrance. A seam near the center of the north and south walls denotes the end of the original house. The eastern half, which was built in the early 19th century, is three bays wide with an entrance in its westernmost bay. This section also features a basement kitchen, with access from underneath the front porch. A full-width porch apparently added in the mid-19th century is supported by flat, paneled posts and features a wood railing. A wood stair leads to the entrance to the west section. At one time part of the porch was screened in; however, all of the screening has been removed.
The exposed section of the basement is concealed by lattice screening. The west half of the facade features a wide, wood-panel door within a wood enframement flanked by double-hung, eight-over-twelve wood-frame windows. In the east section, a similar door has a single sidelight to the east and two double-hung, twelve-over-twelve wood-frame windows in the easternmost bays. The east and west elevations each feature one window in the south bay of the first story and two windows in the half story. On the west (side) elevation, the first story contains a double-hung, two-over-two wood-frame window, the upper story windows are smaller but have the same configuration. On the east (side) elevation, the first story features a double-hung, twelve-over-twelve wood-frame window that matches the façade windows in this section. Half story windows on the east elevation are double hung with six-over-six sash. There is a small basement window on this elevation. A large vertical crack, which has been repaired, runs through east wall, from the roof to the ground, following the location of the interior chimney.
Fenestration on the rear (north) elevation is irregular. The western (original) half of the building contains two widely spaced, double-hung, eight-over-eight wood-frame windows on the first story and one small rectangular eight-pane window centered in the half story. The eastern half features a single wood-panel door and a double-hung, twelve-over-twelve wood-frame window on the first story and a small rectangular six-pane wood-frame window above. There is also a small basement window on the east side.
The interior plan of the original (western) section has been altered since its original construction. The first floor is divided into four spaces, with a living room occupying the western two-thirds and a kitchen, laundry, and half-bath in the eastern third. An enclosed staircase is located along the west wall of the living room, along with built-in cabinets and a rebuilt fireplace with a wide wooden mantel and a narrow shelf. The trim around the fireplace and windows appears to be original and is in keeping with a late 18th-century construction date; windows contain original glass. The western room features exposed small-dimensioned hand-hewn beams running north–south and a single large summer beam running east–west. The latter was added in the 1970s to provide structural support and probably compensated for the loss of an original east–west that would have divided the room into two spaces, with the larger, southern room serving as the kitchen and the smaller, northern room containing the entrance to the enclosed stair. The original beams in both rooms would have been concealed by a plaster ceiling. Finishes and trim in the kitchen and laundry are similar to those in the living room. It is possible that a chimney was originally located on the east wall of the original house; this would have been removed when the house was enlarged, and there is no evidence of it today.
The eastern section of the first floor is divided into a hall and "best room" (now the dining room), which may be the original configuration. The hall contains an enclosed stair leading to the upper floor and a stairway to the basement, which was the location of the kitchen. There is also a door to the exterior at the northern end of the hall. The eastern wall of the dining room features a fireplace and a built-in hutch; the latter is a contemporary addition. Documentation reveals that this room contained a Franklin stove in the 1820s; however, the fireplace has since been rebuilt. This room also features exposed hand-hewn beams; however, they are significantly larger than those in the west room and the ceiling itself is higher. As in the western section of the house, the ceiling in this room was originally plastered. All windows and trim on the main floor of this section appear original, as does the mantel. The first floor features wide plank hardwood floors throughout. Changes other than those noted include replacement of original hardware and possibly some of the doors.
On the upper floor, the western half is now divided into two bedrooms, one with an attached bath. The eastern section is divided into an office with bath (in the hall over the stairs) and a single large bedroom with fireplace.
The latter was originally divided into two small bedrooms. Ceilings in the eastern section have been removed, exposing the rafters. Access to the attic in the western section is through a hatch in the office area. Hewn rafters in this section are pegged with no ridge pole and show scribe marks, consistent with the late 18th century construction date.
Access to the basement kitchen is from the hall in the eastern section of the house and from an exterior door on the south elevation. A beehive oven survives on the east wall; however, the fireplace has been rebuilt. The basement on the west side of the house is unfinished; however log joists are not typical and may have been later replacements.
The Rushmore farmhouse is a good representative example of late 18th century to early 19th century stone residential architecture in Greene County. Original forms and many original materials survive or are clearly discernible. Spatial divisions and room uses have changed over time and help to illustrate how the building was adapted to meet the needs of its occupants over more than a century.
Smokehouse The smokehouse, located northeast of the residence, is a tall stone structure surmounted by a wood-shingle gable roof with overhanging eaves. There is a vertical-board wood door with iron hardware in the south wall and small rectangular openings in the gables. The smokehouse is believed to date to the late 18th century or early 19th century.
Garage The three-car garage, constructed in 1980, is a rectangular (20' by 32') wood-frame building with a standing-seem metal gable roof surmounted by a small cupola with weathervane. It sits on a concrete slab and features novelty siding.
Shed The shed is a small, square (8' by 8'), wood-frame building with novelty siding and a gable roof with overhanging eaves. There is a vertical-board wood door in the north elevation and a small vent in the gable. The shed occupies the site of an original milk house.
Brief history