.gif)
Wilson House (Oyster Bay, New York)
Encyclopedia
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
architecture. This refers to houses, often south-facing, with sloping rear sections ending at a height of three or four feet. Two legends persist about famous visitors to the house. Marquis de Talleyrand is reputed to have spent a night in the 1790s while fleeing the ‘Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
’ in France. President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
is reputed to have stopped there and spoken to children from the porch on April 24, 1790. These legends bring added interest to an already special old home, one of the last of its kind. Today the house is a featured site on the Oyster Bay History Walk
Oyster Bay History Walk
The Oyster Bay History Walk is a path through downtown Oyster Bay, New York that leads the walker to 30 historic sites. It is a 1 mile loop and is the first certified American Heart Association Start! Walking Path on Long Island.-Origins and Development:...
audio walking tour.
History
This small house, called the Wilson House, is one of the oldest in Oyster Bay still standing on its original site. It is named for Harry WilsonHarry Wilson
Harry Wilson may refer to:* Harry Wilson , American character actor born in London* Harry Wilson , American football coach...
, who lived here for over sixty years in the mid 19th century. Mr. Wilson was a cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
, or barrel maker, and also a vestryman at nearby Christ Church
Christ Church of Oyster Bay
Christ Church founded in 1705 is an historic Episcopal parish located at 61 East Main Street in Oyster Bay, New York. Several church buildings have occupied this site, including one that served as soldiers barracks during the Revolutionary War. In the 1870s a Carpenter Gothic style building was...
. Although named for Wilson the house dates way back to the 1750s. It appears to be an example of classic saltbox
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
architecture, a form which refers to south-facing houses with sloping rear sections ending at a height of three or four feet. These houses were constructed to take advantage of natural sunlight in the front rooms and would traditionally use the tapering northern room as a kitchen and cooking area.
The Wilson House though making use of this form was not always a saltbox style house. A photograph taken in 1890 shows this sloping rear section as having been added on with different planking and wood coloration. The four window transom above the front entry was a 20th century addition as were the shutters with the new-moon cut outs. Although the chimney is original, the clapboard exterior present today was once 34" natural shingles.
Supposedly in the 1790s while fleeing from the "Reign of Terror" in France, the Marquis de Talleyrand spent the night here. Talleyrand did live on Long Island from 1794 to 1796 before returning to France to become Napoleon's foreign secretary.
The other persisting legend is that President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
stopped here and spoke to local children from the porch of the Wilson House on April 24, 1790. We know that Washington had spent the night at the Young’s House just down the road in Oyster Bay Cove. However in Washington’s diary he records leaving Mr. Young’s house before 6:00 am, passing Musqueto Cove (which is now Glen Cove) and eating breakfast at Mr. Onderdonks, which is now a restaurant in Roslyn. If Washington did stop here to speak to the children of Oyster Bay, the visit must have been very early and very brief.
These legends may have kernels of truth in them and they bring added interest to an already interesting old home, one of the last of its kind on Long Island.
See also
- Oyster Bay History WalkOyster Bay History WalkThe Oyster Bay History Walk is a path through downtown Oyster Bay, New York that leads the walker to 30 historic sites. It is a 1 mile loop and is the first certified American Heart Association Start! Walking Path on Long Island.-Origins and Development:...
- List of Town of Oyster Bay Landmarks
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Nassau County, New York