The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

The Knickerbocker Mansion And The Witneagemot Oak Peace Tree

By

Stana Iseman will give a talk, “Four Centuries of Knickerbocker,” at the Stephentown Historical Society meeting on Monday, August 5, at 7:30 pm.  The meeting will be at the Stephentown Heritage Center on Garfield Road in Stephentown.  Iseman will be talking about the history of the area, Native American tribes and the Witneagemot Oak Peace Tree, the history of the Knickerbocker Family and the story of the Knickerbocker Mansion restoration. The program  is free and open to the public.  The building is handicapped accessible.  For directions or information, phone 518-733-0010.
The Knickerbocker Mansion, the most significant historic building in upper Rensselaer County, is located in an area of the Hoosic River Valley near Schaghticoke known as the Vale of Peace.  The Mansion was built by Johannes and Elizabeth Knickerbacker in the 1780s using a rare Middle Age architectural style.  The Mansion presides over the remains of the historic Witneagemot Oak Peace Tree, which was planted in 1676 to commemorate a peace treaty between the Native Americans and the European settlers. The Mansion’s quiet agricultural setting has been unchanged for centuries.
The building fell into disrepair over the centuries, and major restoration began in 1991.  It remains a restoration work in progress but is open to the public every Sunday and during special monthly events such as the September Harvest Festival and the October Knick at Night ghost tours or by appointment.
Iseman is Project Director for the Restoration Projects, Tour Guide and Treasurer for the Knickerbocker Historical Society, Inc.  She has volunteered for the Knickerbocker Mansion for 25 years.  She lives in Cambridge, NY, and is a retired teacher.  She was recently honored by NYS Senator Kathleen Marchione in her Women of Distinction program for the 43rd. Senate District.
The mission of the Knickerbocker Historical Society, Inc., is to preserve and maintain the Knickerbocker Mansion, the Knickerbocker Family Cemetery and the remains of the Peace Tree, as well as working to interpret the history of the Mansion property, develop educational programs concerning the history of the Mansion and the surrounding area, and promote community awareness and appreciation of local history.