The History Press

Nestled on the banks of the Hudson River, Rhinebeck, New York, is a shining example of American architectural history. Lifelong resident and Town Historian Nancy Kelly scrutinizes Rhinebeck's eclectic structures, from modest cabins to Victorian estates, framed colonial homes to elaborate Beaux Arts mansions. Kelly chronicles what life was like for the Rhinebeck citizens residing in these dwellings. Read Rhinebeck's Historic Architecture to discover the vibrant heritage of this colonial village.

In a city like New York, governed by a spirit of tearing down and rebuilding at short intervals of time, it is not surprising that landmarks have been destroyed and that old places have been in danger of losing their historical associations. Fortunately, of late, through the worthy efforts of certain patriotic societies, many of the more important historic sites have been determined and marked by suitably inscribed tablets. These memorials serve the double purpose of awakening attention and of investing with an air of reality the events they perpetuate. They are, however, but isolated mementos, bearing a suggestive phrase or two that have meaning only to the student who has delved into the city's past. To make clear the full significance of these tablet-marked sites, to visit them in their chronological order, together with other landmarks worthy of consideration, and to weave around these rlics and reminders of other days an interesting, graphic, and precise story, has been the object of this little work.