August, 1997 issue

Because the Van Cortlandt family accumulated much of its wealth from the brewing industry in Manhattan, the focus of the tercentenary festivities will be on the history of alcohol in the Hudson Valley.

Oloff Van Cortlandt was the first member of the family to arrive in New Amsterdam in 1638 as an employee of the Dutch West India Company. He later became an independent business man and politician. In 1642 he married Annetje Lookermans, the daughter of a wealthy Dutch merchant.

Their oldest son, Stephanus continued the tradition of the family in business and became Mayor of New York and Chief Justice of the New York Provincial Supreme Court. After his marriage to Gertruyd Schuyler he began acquiring land between the Croton River and Peekskill.

By 1697 Stephanus' land holdings had grown to 86,000 acres in northern Westchester, between the Hudson River and the Connecticut border. He was the first and only Lord of the Manor of Cortlandt as he followed the Dutch tradition of willing his estate to all his immediate heirs rather than to his oldest son.

In 1732, after the death of Gertruyd, Stephanus' son Philip inherited the Croton River property with the manor house and 10,000 acres, plus his father's New York house, which he maintained as his permanent residence. However, the family visited the manor in order to hunt and fish. Philip was also a successful merchant and sat on the Provincial Council. He married Catherine de Peyster in 1710.

The estate was divided again when Philip died in 1747. Stephen inherited the house in Manhattan and Pierre Van Cortlandt moved, with his wife, Joanna Livingston and baby son, Philip, to the manor in 1749. The manor then became self-sufficient with the addition of a barn, carpenter and blacksmith shops, apple orchards and a brick kiln.

During the upheaval that led to the Revolutionary War, Pierre sided with the Patriots. He was a member of the Provincial Congress at White Plains that gave New York's ratification to the Declaration of Independence on July 9, 1776. He later became Lieutenant Governor of the State and, often, Acting Governor during the war when Governor George Clinton mounted military campaigns.

Meanwhile, Pierre's son, Philip was actively pursuing a military career. George Washington made him Colonel of the Second New York Regiment. He commanded troops under Lafayette and was a member of the court that tried Benedict Arnold. Both father and son were present, at the end of the war, at ceremonies commemorating Washington's return to New York City.

In 1776 the family had retreated to Peekskill and then to Rhinebeck with many of the family treasures. The manor house was plundered by the British in 1779. The family did not return until 1803, but the estate was quickly rebuilt and was soon a thriving operation. It was during this period the Van Cortlandt Ferry House became an important stop on the Albany Post Road, providing lodging and refreshment for travelers.

Philip became the first Supervisor of the Town of Cortlandt, a State Assemblyman, a State Senator and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. When he died in 1831 he left a share of the manor to his sister, Catherine Van Wyck's son, Philip.

In 1836 Philip Van Cortlandt's brother's son, Pierre III, moved into the manor house with his wife, Catherine Beck. Their living children inherited the manor house in 1895 and their daughter, Ann Stevenson Van Cortlandt, remained until her death in 1941. She is remembered as enjoying occasional automobile rides around the area.

The manor house was sold in 1945 by Miss Van Cortlandt's nieces to Otis Taylor. After his death it was acquired by Jerome Britchey who took down the barns and built the Starlite Drivein Theater, on the site of the current ShopRite.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. bought the manor house in 1953 and began the restoration of the house and grounds.

Researchers at Van Cortlandt Manor have unearthed a wealth of evidence of the making and using alcohol in Van Cortlandt family recipes. They include Cider, Lemon Wine, English Champagne, Ginger Beer, Spruce Beer, Methiglin, Currant Wine, Neyeaux and Eau de Quoin. Others feature alcohol as a necessary preservative for fruits such as Raspberries in Brandy and Brandy Peaches. "Shrubs" and "Syllabubs" were also obvious favorites.

The Manor House maintains a large collection of artifacts that were used to store and drink alcohol. There are some high quality wine glasses and decanters, porcelain, stoneware, and earthenware drinking vessels. Organizers of the celebration hope to arrange special tours to highlight the collection as a way of focusing on social history and decorative arts.

However, they are also planning on exploring another opinion of alcohol. Although the consumption of the beverage was very high and considered healthy, in the late 18th century members of the medical profession began to question the use. Benjamin Rush wrote one of the first treatises, "An Inquiry into the Effects of Spirituous Liquors," which contains a chart outlining the effects of immodest drinking.

Van Cortlandt Manor Site Director Margaret Vetare explained that some of the Van Cortlandt women, who were Methodists, would have opposed the use of alcohol on religious grounds. She would like to stage a recreation of a discussion between those who frowned on alcohol and those who supported its use such as grain farmers, tavern keepers and those who wanted to exercise their right to liberty and pursuit of happiness.

The gardens at Van Cortlandt Manor are also associated with alcohol. The apple orchards provided ingredients for cider and there is an example of hops growing ready for beer. Herbs such as woodruff, wormwood and borage were used in wine infusions.

As the history of alcohol in the Hudson Valley would not be complete without the most recent chapter, micro-breweries will be invited to attend the festivities so that visitors may explore their wares and toast 300 years of a royal patent.