Johnson Hall State Historic Site was the home of Sir William Johnson (1715–1774) an Irish pioneer who became the influential British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York

Province of New York

The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...

, known for his strong relationship especially with the Mohawk

Mohawk nation

Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...

 and other Iroquois League nations.

The house was built seven miles from the Mohawk River

Mohawk River

The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...

, close to Hall Creek. Hall Creek provided water sufficient to power a sawmill

Sawmill

A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

 and later a grist mill. Built of wood, the house frame was covered with clapboards to simulate stone. Because there were no professional architects available, Johnson drew up the Georgian-style plans for the house himself; he hired the carpenter, Samuel Fuller, to build it. At least some of the ideas for the house came from the Builders' Companion magazine. Johnson also had two block houses built as defenses against attack on the frontier, as the British had just ended the Seven Years War with the French.

Johnson founded Johnstown, New York

Johnstown (city), New York

Johnstown is a city and the county seat of Fulton County in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 Census, the city had population of 8,511. Recent estimates put the figure closer to 8,100. The city was named by its founder, Sir William Johnson after his son John Johnson...

, and came to own a 400000 acres (161,874.4 ha) estate. Johnson moved here from Old Fort Johnson

Old Fort Johnson

Old Fort Johnson, or Fort Johnson, was a two-story stone house enclosed in fortifications built by Sir William Johnson about 1749 in the town of Amsterdam, Montgomery County, New York, United States. The fort served as Johnson's home, business office and trading center until 1763 when he moved to...

 in 1763 and lived here until he died in 1774. The house was inherited by his son, John Johnson

John Johnson

-Artists and entertainers:*John Johnson , English lutenist and composer*John Johnson , trombonist and percussionist with Simply Red*John Johnson , American television reporter and anchor*J...

. During the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

, the rebel government in New York seized Johnson Hall because the Johnsons had gone to Canada as Loyalists. In 1779 the state sold the house to Silas Talbot

Silas Talbot

Silas Talbot was an officer in the Continental Army and in the Continental Navy. Talbot is most famous for commanding the USS Constitution from 1798 to 1801.-Biography:...

, a migrant from New England.

It was used as a private residence by various owners until 1906, when the state bought it for preservation and interpretation as a house museum of the most important colonial landowner in the state. It received restoration in the early twentieth century and in the 1950s, to remove additions of the late nineteenth century and better reflect its original time. The historic site includes more than 18 acres of land.

The house was declared a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 in 1960.

Johnson Hall is located at Hall Avenue, West State Street and Johnson Avenue, in Johnstown, New York

Johnstown (city), New York

Johnstown is a city and the county seat of Fulton County in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 Census, the city had population of 8,511. Recent estimates put the figure closer to 8,100. The city was named by its founder, Sir William Johnson after his son John Johnson...

.

External links

• Johnson Hall State Historic Site, at NYSOPRHP
• 17 photos, 4 data pages, and Supplemental material on Johnson Hall, Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)
  Historic American Buildings Survey
  The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
  
  , American Memory, Library of Congress
• 2 photos and 4 drawings of Blockhouse, Johnson Hall, at HABS.
• Revolutionary War Heritage Trail: Johnson Hall State Historic Site, Heritage New York