Starting the second Saturday in February, we are going to re-introduce our Lunch and Learn Program. We started this program before Covid and are restarting it now. At noon on the second Saturday of the month from January to May, when the museum is closed, we are going to have a light lunch for those members who join us at our Van Wyck Homestead Museum, and we will try to also broadcast over Zoom for those members who cannot attend in-person.
The topic for our Lunch and Learn programs is the American Revolution. The program is from the Great Courses and is presented by Professor Allen C. Guelzo of Gettysburg College. Each week will advance to a new aspect of the American Revolution.
March’s Lunch and Learn Presentation:
Saturday, March 8th at 12:00 pm
“The Ancient Constitution”
Britain's understanding of its ancient—although unwritten—style of government places it at odds with that of its colonists, who see in John Locke's theories not a hypothetical "thought experiment," but an argument for autonomy.
The 2024 regular tour season is over. Thank you to all of our visitors and volunteers!
Thank you to all of our volunteers and visitors in 2024! The regular tour season at the Van Wyck Homestead Museum is over for the year. We'll be back in June 2025 for regular open hours from 1 pm to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays through October 2025.
If you'd like to schedule a tour this winter or spring, please try to provide at least a week's notice and email [email protected].
Many hands make light work... and volunteering has many rewards for you too! Read this article called "Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits" to find out more.
Become a Docent at the Van Wyck Homestead Museum. For more details, see the historical society's page on VolunteerMatch.org
The Van Wyck Homestead Museum is a colonial-era house built in 1732 by Cornelius and Hanna Van Wyck and is owned and operated by the Fishkill Historical Society. The Continental Army used the house during the Revolutionary War as the Officers' Headquarters for the Fishkill Supply Depot.
The Fishkill Supply Depot was a key strategic center of the American Revolution, established by General George Washington in October 1776 as a central location for storing and distributing supplies during the American Revolution. Yearly, over 2,000 Continental Army soldiers were trained in Fishkill. Another 2,000 soldiers, craftspeople, and other supply depot supporters were housed year-round in barracks at the Fishkill Supply Depot encampment. The depot employed hundreds of workers, including skilled craftspeople, responsible for sourcing, manufacturing, maintaining, and repairing equipment to keep the army well-supplied. The Fishkill Supply Depot operated until the end of the American Revolution in November 1783.
Historic Site Saved from Demolition
The Fishkill Historical Society was founded in 1962 by local residents who dedicated themselves to preserving the history of Fishkill and the Van Wyck Homestead. The founding members established the society to save the abandoned Homestead from imminent demolition from the construction of a planned cloverleaf exit ramp for Interstate 84 at Route 9.
The Homestead has served as a historical museum since the 1970s. It is maintained and operated by volunteers of the Fishkill Historical Society. We are grateful to the founding members of this society for their foresight and perseverance to preserve and then restore the Van Wyck Homestead and turn it into a Revolutionary War-era Museum.
Volunteer docents welcome visitors to the Van Wyck Homestead Museum on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00, June through October, or by appointment.
Self-guided tour guides of the museum's grounds are available in the mailbox on the front porch.
Inside the museum, see colonial-era artifacts, learn about Fishkill's important role in the Revolutionary War, Dutch architecture, prominent people from Fishkill, and colonial-era family life. The Homestead possesses its open hearth and beehive bread oven.
The museum's grounds are open every day of the year from dawn to dusk. The grounds feature an 18th-century kitchen garden, a model of the clay bread ovens used for the Fishkill Supply Depot, and significant monuments.
The Van Wyck Homestead Museum is located in the Mid-Hudson Valley at 504 Route 9, Fishkill, New York. However, the museum's driveway is accessed from Snook Road, very close to its intersection with Route 9.
Discover some historic sites in Fishkill. Our town's history may amaze you!
Tour The Van Wyck Homestead Museum
Self-guided tours of the grounds are available every day from dawn to dusk. Brochure guides are next to the museum’s front door.
From June through October, the museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM.*
*The museum's opening schedule is subject to change as it is dependent on volunteer personnel availability. Off-season tour appointments can be requested.
Contact the Fishkill Historical Society
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