Billiou–Stillwell–Perine House
The Billiou–Stillwell–Perine House is a Dutch Colonial structure and the oldest standing building on Staten Island, New York.[2]
Billiou–Stillwell–Perine House | |
 Billiou–Stillwell–Perine House | |
    | |
| Location | 1476 Richmond Road, Staten Island, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°35′34″N 74°6′3″W |
| Built | ca. 1662 |
| Architectural style | Domestic vernacular |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001269[1] |
| NYCL No. | 0380 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 1, 1976 |
| Designated NYCL | February 28, 1967 |
History
The house was originally built by Pierre Billiou, a Huguenot who arrived at New Amsterdam fleeing religious persecution in Europe in 1661. He founded Oude Dorp (Old Town) in the same year, and subsequently received a land grant on Staten Island, erecting the original stone section of the house around 1662.[3] His daughter Martha (1652–1736) inherited the property and resided there with her husband, Thomas Stillwell (1651–1704/1705), and later with her second husband, Rev. David de Bonrepos (1654–1734), whom she married in 1711. Also family decedents of the Billiou family are still living in America to this date of 2021 with a modernized name of Bilyeu. Most of the family lives in the state of Tennessee. (edited by a descendent Zachary Bilyeu) There are also descendants in Kansas, Washington state, Oregon and a branch in Ohio.
About 1680, Thomas Stillwell, a well-to-do landowner, enlarged the house. His and Martha's descendants, the Brittons, owned it until the mid-18th century. It was then acquired in 1758 by Edward Perine, whose family owned it until 1913.[3]
The building has a shingled sloping roof, a high jambless fireplace with a large stone hearth, and a ceiling with exceptionally large beams. Owned by Historic Richmond Town, the house is occasionally open to the public on a limited schedule or by appointment.[4]
See also
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- Sperr, Percy Loomis (1925). "The Perine House. Dongan Hills. S.I." Lumitone Press. Retrieved November 7, 2018 – via Staten Island Museum.
- Gold, Kenneth M.; Weintrob, Lori R., eds. (2011). Discovering Staten Island. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. ISBN 978-1-61423-087-8. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- "Billou-Stilwell-Perine House". National Park Service. March 22, 2005. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
External links
- Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House, Landmarks Preservation Commission
- Billiou-Stillwell-Perine House, Historic Richmond Town
- The Story and Documentary History of the Perine House, Staten Island Antiquarian Society, 1915
