Martin Van Buren Estate

A Brief History: The Martin Van Buren Estate, also known as Lindenwald, sits at 1013 Oldpost Road in Kinderhook, New York. It was built in 1797 for a local judge, who eventually sold the property to the Van Ness Family. During this time, famous author Washington Irving (author of “Rip Van Winkle” and “Sleepy Hollow”) wrote his book “A History of New York” at the house. Irving became friends with Marin Van Buren, and Van Buren ended up purchasing the property in 1839. After adding an extension to the house, Van Buren moved into the house in 1841. It was then when Van Buren gave the house the name Lindenwald because Lindenwald means “linden forest” in German, and the trees in front of the house were American linden trees (that still stand today). Van Buren lived out the rest of his life at the mansion with his family until he died within the walls of Lindenwald in 1862 at the age of 79. Since 1961, Lindenwald has been recognized as a historic landmark and has been cared for by the National Parks Service. Guided tours are offered for the interior of the house, while the rest of the property is open to the public to explore. The attic and tower of the mansion are off limits to guests due to fire marshal safety regulations.

Haunted History: Guests have claimed to have seen a man walking down a hall into a room and then vanish. People also claimed to have smelt a strong smell of cigar smoke in the house and then goes away rapidly. People have also claimed to have felt a cold spot in one of the hallways.