The History of the Old Dutch House and its Land

People have been drawn to this land for centuries.

Long before there was a house here, there were people. Indigenous artifacts have been found on this property, which makes sense given that the lake beside it is the dammed Hackensack River, and this corridor has been a place of human life for thousands of years. The road itself follows an old Indigenous trail up from Bergen County.

The sandstone house is listed by the town as built in 1776. Research suggests it may be even older. The stone was quarried from where the local Mill Pond now sits. A state preservation analyst confirmed it is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The walls have earned it. Nearby DeWindt House, where George Washington deliberated the fate of British spy Major André, holds an historical map from that time. The Old Dutch House is on it.

What the house has seen, in brief:

At one point, the working horses who pulled the trolleys through Jersey City were brought here to recover. This acre as sanctuary. City animals finding stillness in the Hudson Valley. Some things don't change.

In 1914, a Swedish immigrant named Carl Anderson bought the property and 17 acres for $37 in back taxes. He renovated it, added barns, kept chickens, sold eggs, and cut Christmas trees. He was almost entirely self-sufficient. Friends came up from the city by train on Sundays for picnics on the Hackensack.

In 1940, two women bought it: a Cornell agriculture graduate named Keck, and Josephine Bentham, who had just written Janie, a hit Broadway play that ran at Henry Miller's Theatre and was made into a film. They were going to farm. It didn't last long.

A CBS announcer lived here next. Then Jack Shaindlin, eastern music director for a Hollywood studio, composer of scores and songs, who built a music studio above the garage and co-wrote the music for The Cisco Kid.

Then Lama Tsultrim Allione, a Buddhist teacher of some renown, who lived here and dreamed of building a stupa on the grounds. She made it happen and it still stands, dedicated to Tara, the female Buddha of compassion. One of the more unlikely and perfect things you'll find on an old Hudson Valley property.

Then the heiress to the iconic American luxury leather brand, Coach.

Then us.

We are among the many families to have called this place home. We have no plans to leave. And we are very glad you found it.

Much of the early history of this property was drawn from Life on Old Mill Road from 1750 to 1950 by June Sundvik, published 2017. Copies are available at the Valley Cottage Library.