Celebrating Grand View Farm
Is it the Joab Baker Homestead or Grand View Farm? Or both? One wonders.
This beautiful, if somewhat shabby, home was the
center of the historic Grand View Farm. It is currently for sale* by Scenic
Hudson in an effort to preserve and rehabilitate its Italianate architectural
features. The home sits well back from busy River Road with sweeping views to
the east. That viewshed has been conserved by Scenic Hudson and will not be
developed.
As the center of Grand View Farm, the house is deeply
connected to the Baker family. However, there has been some confusion, at least
in my mind, about whether Grand View Farm and the Jaob Baker Homestead are one and the
same.
It is very clear from documentary evidence that this is
Grand View Farm, home of Cornelius Baker and his wife Caroline Lasher from about
the time of their marriage in 1846. It remained in the Baker family until 2005
when Grant Thorn, great, great grandson of Cornelius and Caroline, sold it to
Waste Management. Deeds, newspaper clippings, historic maps and census reports all
support this.
The connection to the “Joab Baker Homestead” is murkier.
Let’s explore.
My confusion stems from a New York State Education
Department historic marker that is now missing. The blue and yellow marker is
reported to say BAKER FARM SETTLED BY JOAB BAKER OF CONNECTICUT IN 1791.
Then
there is the line NY 144, ½ MILE NORTH OF SELKIRK. That location is definitely 1322
River Road.
This designation as the Joab Baker Homestead appears
in a N.Y. State Historic Preservation Office survey dated June 1968. The survey
includes the following under History and Significance: Settled early by Joab
Baker of Connecticut, and supposed to have been originally build in 1791. Altered
and remodeled so probably bears little or no resemblance to original. Been kept
by Baker Family descendants for over 175 years. It goes on to cite the “N.Y.
State Educ. Dept. Iron Marker" and “personal observation.”
The reason I am skeptical of the historic marker is
found in Cornelius V. Baker’s biography in Howell and Tenney’s Bicentennial
History of Albany County. Published in 1886, the book includes many such
biographies. Here is the entire first paragraph of Cornelius’
“Cornelius V. Baker is one of the most prominent
public men of the town of Bethlehem, descending on his father’s side from an
old English family who settled, in the person of his great-grandfather, Joab
Baker, in Roxbury, Conn. His grandfather, also named Joab, settled in Coeymans,
in 1791, and married Hanna Ashmerd, whose father was one of the pioneer
settlers of Albany.”
It follows with the statement, “Cornelius Vroman
Baker… was reared on the old homestead in Coeymans.”
Did you catch it? Joab is described almost word for
word as the historic marker, except for the settled in Coeymans part. C.V.
was raised in Coeymans. Coeymans of course is not Bethlehem. I believe
placement of the historic at 1322 River Road in Selkirk (or NY 144, ½ mile
north of Selkirk) is wrong.
So, where does that leave us?
First, more research, which is underway. I’ve got a
couple of leads about the marker to explore and have reached out to SHPO where James
Carter of the Survey and National Register Unit is looking into their records. Another
avenue is to reach out to the Coeymans historian to see if they have any info
about a Baker Homestead. Also, an inspection of the house structure itself
might turn up clues to its age as well.
Second, let’s celebrate Grand View Farm – it is
certainly worthy in and of itself.
Cornelius V. Baker (1819-1893) and Caroline Lasher (1819-1895)
married in 1846 and settled on a 120-acre tract acquired from the Sill family. His
biography says “he early displayed a taste for agricultural pursuits and
business, and devoted himself with rare perseverance to the accumulation of
landed property.” With many acquisitions, Grand View Farm finally encompassed
450 acres. This is reflected in the 2005 deed between Grant Thorn and Waste
Management. In the “being the same property as” section, it details 14 separate
parcels described in links and chains and white oak trees, and mentions C.V.
Baker, Francis Nicoll Sill and the Albany Green Turnpike (modern River Road.)
Cornelius and Caroline had eight children, baptizing
them at the First Reformed Church of Bethlehem where they were members. Four
died very young. Four grew to adulthood: Alexander, Charles, Edward and Abbie.
These four were raised in the Grand View home with Charles going on to inherit
it and live there with his wife Marion. Charles and Marion’s daughter Mable
married John Thorn in 1910.
Grand View Farm was highly successful farm. The 1850
census notes Baker’s real estate value as $5000; by the 1870 census the real
estate figure was $30,000 with $12,654 in value for personal property. The farm
is listed on the U.S. Census Agricultural schedule in 1850, 60 and 70. In 1850
Baker reported harvesting (on his 200 improved acres) 500 bushels of rye, 600
of Indian corn, 600 oats, 700 potatoes and 10 of buck wheat as well as 700 lbs.
of butter and 75 tons of hay.
The doings of the Baker Family were covered in the
local papers. A newspaper article from 1883 noted that Baker had 2 acres of
strawberry plants from which he harvested 1000 quarts a day when the berry is
ripe. Another noted that he developed his own melon for the New York City
market that competed with the more locally famous Bender melon. Articles about
Baker’s other business interests also appeared including the annual ice crop
and a proposed Albany to Coeymans railroad line.
Personally, I like this one from 1911, “Grand View
Farm, the pretty home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles N. Baker of Selkirk, was aglow
last Monday night, when about twenty-five of their friends who had been invited
by their daughters, Mrs. John Thorn and Miss Jeanette Baker, had gathered there
in honor of their home coming after a very delightful ocean trip to Porto
Rico. Not until a number of guests had arrived did Mr. and Mrs. Baker realize
that they were receiving a surprise party. Mr. Robert Andrews of Albany, a
noted magician, entertained … with his wonderful tricks which caused much
anxiety and laughter, games were indulged in also.”
In conclusion, whether this house is the Jaob Baker
Homestead as well as Grand View Farm, it is a beautiful piece of property, with
a significant history, deserving of preservation and listing on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Altamont Enterprise, March 31, 1911 |
Above is from Howell & Tenney’s Bicentennial
History of Albany County.
Below is pieced together the entire biography. |
A portion of the Beers 1866 map of Bethlehem. Look for C.V. Baker and his initials. |
September 2019 |
September 2019 |
October 2016 |
October 2016 |
October 2016 |
* Hop over to one of the real estate websites, or simply Google, "1322 River Road, Selkirk" for the listing. Or call Alex Bendon, the listing agent, 518-817-0286.
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