New York - Day 23 - Van Buren

Schodack Island State Park

Wednesday, 23 May 2018

today's route (you can see my camera's working again)

The main thing I did today was visit the home of Martin Van Buren, our 8^th president.  It’s a home he called Lindenwald, about 2 miles south of Kinderhook, where he was born and is buried.  I went partly because it was half-way between last night’s campground and tonight’s, and partly because I didn’t know a single thing about him, which seemed wrong, given my history major a zillion years ago.  Now I know more than a single thing, and so will you if you read any of this.

Born in 1782, he was the 1^st US president to be born an American citizen: the previous 7 were born on this continent but were born British subjects.  He spoke Dutch as a young man, given the strong Dutch influence in this part of the country.

He never went to college but became a lawyer the same way Lincoln did – by studying the law under another lawyer.  He was both Secretary of State and Vice President under Pres. Andrew Jackson, who Van Buren practically revered.  He was elected president in 1836 and was a 1-term president.  The main reason was that during his term, the US experienced the worst economic depression it had ever faced.  Of course the president was blamed for it, as almost always happens whether it’s their fault or not.  Another reason was that he opposed annexing Texas because he agreed with most people who thought it would likely split into several states, all of them slave states, upsetting the balance in Congress.  Southerners didn’t like his opposition to expanding the range of slavery.  So he lost in 1840, and again in 1844, and again in 1848 (because in 1844 he lost the Democratic nomination only on the 9^th ballot, so he thought he’d have a good shot at it again).

While he was president, he followed Jeffersonian principles: strong states’ rights, strict constitutional construction, and civil liberties.  He had on his wall portraits of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson.

Lindenwald

His home was on the Old Post Road between Manhattan and Albany, well situated to get lots of visitors passing back and forth.  He loved politics and apparently was a good strategist – just not a good candidate.

A few of the original furnishings have been donated to the National Historic Site, but the most remarkable thing, to me, was the original wallpaper in the dining room.  It came in 1840 from a company in France and depicts a hunting scene that runs all the way around the very large room.  When the National Park Service got its hands on the house in the 1970s, the wallpaper was in strips and shreds draped from the walls.  Unbelievably, the original wallpaper company was still in business and helped repair the wallpaper so that most of the original could be saved.  I think the tour guide said it had taken several years to do it, but I’m amazed it could be done at all - it's getting on towards 200 years old.

Van Buren added all the modern conveniences to the house he bought, including running water in some places, a flush toilet, and a huge zinc bath tub.  He lived in the house from 1841 after he left the presidency until he died in 1862.

Aside from Van Buren, I can report that wild jasmine is growing in this park and it’s blooming like crazy and smells wonderful.