Welcome to Lindenwald
Martin Van Buren Nat’l Hist Site
Welcome to Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. “Lindenwald” was the home and farm of the nation’s eighth president. Martin Van Buren’s life bridged the 80 years between the American War for Independence and the U.S. Civil War, the formative years of the American Republic. He was among the most prominent politicians of his time and an architect of the party system that still shapes American political life.
Politics before the Civil War was a whirlwind of boisterous characters and opposing interest groups. Martin Van Buren positioned himself in the eye of the political storm and in the process helped to found the Democratic Party. He continued to be a central figure in American politics after coming to Lindenwald in 1841. He ran for the presidency twice more from this house.
To learn more about the rough and tumble of American politics when the country was very young as well as the beautiful farmland which is preserved around Lindenwald, please cross Old Post Road to the visitor center to speak with a park ranger about visiting President Van Buren’s home and other activities. House tours are scheduled throughout the day during the visitor season.
Since 1997 the National Park Service has worked with the Open Space Institute (OSI) and other partners to protect President Van Buren’s Lindenwald farm and other land along Kinderhook Creek having historic, agricultural, scenic and recreational value. To date OSI has protected more than 700 acres along Kinderhook Creek, including 125 acres that were originally part of Lindenwald. The surroundings and vistas of Lindenwald appear much as they did when Martin Van Buren lived here, an aesthetically pleasing resource intimately and tangibly related to his life.
Marker is on Old Post Road, on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
