Jan Van Loon House
The Jan Van Loon House (/væn ˈloʊn/, like van loan) is one of the oldest extant buildings in New York State. It is located in Athens, New York at 39 South Washington Street (also known as New York State Route 385). It is inside the Village of Athens Multiple Resource Area (MRA) and the Athens Lower Village Historic District.[2] It was built by Jan Van Loon, who fathered eight children including Albertus Van Loon.[3] Van Loon was a blacksmith by trade, but was also known to work in silver.[4]
| Jan Van Loon House | |
|---|---|
 Jan Van Loon House | |
  Albertus Van Loon House, Athens, NY  Jan Van Loon House (the United States) | |
| General information | |
| Type | residential home |
| Address | 39 South Washington Street |
| Town or city | Athens, New York |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 42.257334°N 73.811824°W |
| Elevation | 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in) |
| Named for | Jan Van Loon |
| Completed | 1706[1] |
| Technical details | |
| Material | brick |
| Lifts/elevators | 0 |
Van Loon was the earliest European settler to the area, purchasing the land in 1685.[2] In 1688 he then gave the settlement its first name, Loonenburg. Only one wall of the original 1706 structure remains unchanged in the house.[2][5]
Jan's grandchild, John M. Van Loon, sold the family lands on 30 April 1800 to Isaac Northrup, who then developed them into a more complete village.[2]
In 1932, the New York State Education Department placed a historic marker outside the house:
JAN VAN LOON
HOUSE
BUILT 1706 BY JAN VAN LOON
CHIEF HOLDER LOONEBURGH
PAT. 1688. ATHENS VILLAGEFIRST CALLED LOONEBURGH
— New York State Education Department, [6]
See also
References
- Cutter, William Richard; Reynolds, Cuyler (1913). "14" (PDF). Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation . Vol. 3. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 1112. ISBN 9780806346755. OCLC 423822035. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
Jan built house in the lower part of what is now village of Athens a short distance north Black Rock on ground later occupied as shipyard by Matthias Van Loon A from the original house bearing the 1706 JVL gives the name of builder and the date of erection.
- Powers, Robert M.; Gobrecht, Larry E. (July 1979). "Village of Athens Multiple Resource Area" (PDF). National Register of Historical Places. United States Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- Beers, Frederick L.; Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (Athens, N.Y.) (1884). History of Greene County, New York: with biographical sketches of its prominent men. J.B. Beers & Co. ISBN 0-685-61127-2. OCLC 671549350. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
- Darling, Herbert F.; Buhler, Kathryn C. (1964). New York State Silversmiths (First ed.). Eggertsville, New York: The Darling Foundation of New York State. p. 182. OCLC 1008217497.
VAN LOON, Jan Albany, N.Y. w.c. [worked circa] 1680
- Gombach, Julia (2009). "Village of Athens, Greene County, New York (NY) 12015". Living Places. The Gombach Group. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
- "Historical Markers before 2000" (PDF). Association of Public Historians of NYS. Groton, NY. September 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
GREENE ATHENS, TOWN OF JAN VAN LOON HOUSE BUILT 1706 BY JAN VAN LOON CHIEF HOLDER LOONEBURGH PAT. 1688. ATHENS VILLAGE FIRST CALLED LOONEBURGH 1700-1749 ON NYS 385 AT ATHENS
