The Rye Historical Society recently announced plans for restoration of its historic Knapp House, — the oldest residential structure in Westchester — as well as construction of an adjacent archives building. In addition to municipal records of the Town, Village, and City of Rye, the RHS archives contain over 25,000 items pertaining to local history.
The history of the Knapp House property can be traced back to 1663, when one of the original Rye settlers, Thomas Studwell, purchased land along the road to “Mill Town” (Milton Road). Studwell (sometimes spelled “Stedwell”) built a small house on the property and lived there until 1667, when he sold it to Timothy Knapp, who had moved to Rye from Stamford.
Knapp built the oldest part of his house between 1667 and 1680, perhaps in 1670. A respected member of the community, he served for many years as a deputy to the General Court in Hartford when the Town of Rye was part of Connecticut. Before a building was erected by the Anglican Church in Rye, religious services were held at the Knapp House.
The house and property remained in the Knapp family for more than 50 years. In 1749, it was conveyed, together with 14 surrounding acres, to Ezekiel Halsted by four sons of Knapp. Shortly after buying the house, Halsted added a front hall, parlor, and bedroom.
A later addition raised the roof and added a structure on the back with a dining room and kitchen, giving the house its distinctive salt box shape. Around this time, the “fish scale” rounded shingles were also added. Ezekiel Halsted, who lived in Rye for only eight years, died in 1757, at age 49, and was buried in his family’s cemetery across Milton Road from his house.
The Halsted family owned the house and property for the next 150 years, making few changes after their two early additions to the house. In addition to their large land holdings in Harrison and Rye, the 1790 federal census showed, members of the Halsted family enslaved a total of seven people.
Ownership of the property remained in the Halsted family until 1906, when it was sold to Simeon Ford, an owner of the Grand Union Hotel in Manhattan. To supply produce and flowers to his hotel, Ford built greenhouses behind the house, which later became Rich’s nursery and are now playing fields.
Ford’s son, Ellsworth, lived in the house and added a studio at the back. Later, his sister, Lauren, a successful artist, became the owner, and in 1969, she sold the property to members of the Matt Taylor family. The Rye Historical Society purchased the Knapp House in 1992 and restored it with the help of donations from the Rye community. Adding to its charm is the Kay Donahue Memorial Garden, a historic kitchen and herb garden with authentic plantings maintained by The Little Garden Club of Rye.
The Knapp House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982 and has also been designated a landmark by the City of Rye.
