The Birth of New York State
Stockade District, Kingston, Ulster County
The Senate House in the historic Stockade District of Kingston was the meeting place of the first New York State Senate in September and October 1777. The elected representatives met in this simple stone house that was constructed in 1676 and owned by Abraham Van Gaasbeek, a local merchant. The patriots adopted a government system that included a governor, a lieutenant governor, senate, assembly and judiciary, a system that is still in place today. Members of the Senate spent little time working there as they had to evacuate Kingston in October as British troops under the command of Major General John Vaughan made their way north from Manhattan, plundering the Hudson Valley. The British attacked Kingston on October 16, 1777, burning over 300 homes, barns and buildings. New York State acquired the property in 1887. The Senate House is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information about this historic building check out The Old Senate House, 1777, City of Kingston, N.Y., published in 1883 and authored by Frederick Edward Westbrook.
