In February, we re-introduced our Lunch and Learn Program. We started this program before Covid and restarted it again. At noon on the second Saturday of the month annually in January through May, when the museum is closed, we have a light lunch for those members who join us at our Van Wyck Homestead Museum and broadcast over Zoom for those members who cannot attend in person.
Our Lunch and Learn programs are on the American Revolution. The program is from the Great Courses and is presented by Professor Allen C. Guelzo of Gettysburg College. We will explore a new aspect of the American Revolution at each event.
April's Lunch and Learn Presentation:
Saturday, April 12th at 12:00 pm
“A Soldier What's Fit for a Soldier”
What were the typical British soldier and officer like? How were troops organized and equipped? You meet the forces expected to maintain order in the increasingly rebellious colonies.
and
“How the British Regulars Fired and Fled”
As tensions escalate and the first Continental Congress convenes, King George III finally heeds a request for reinforcements. Nevertheless, the British sorely underestimate American militia and suffer a humiliating defeat at Lexington and Concord.
Museum Clean-up Day on Saturday, May, 3rd - 8:00 am to Noon
Join fellow volunteers to prepare the Van Wyck Homestead Museum for this year's visitors. There are chores that match everyone's interests and talents.
There's plenty to do inside and outside. We'll be organizing, dusting, vacuuming (there are so many cobwebs), washing, and sorting inside the museum. We'll be raking, trimming, spreading, and repairing on the museum's grounds. Seeing the transformation every year after just four hours of work is impressive! A continental breakfast spread for volunteers will be available in the c.1732 kitchen. Please send questions to [email protected].
The 2025 regular tour season begins on Saturday, June 7th.
We look forward to welcoming our volunteers and visitors in 2025! From June through October, volunteers try to open the museum every Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Off-season tour appointments can made by emailing [email protected]. Please try to allow a week or so notice.
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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