Presidential House Visit: Lindenwald

Lindenwald, Home of Martin Van Buren
Kinderhook, New York

Martin Van Buren was a president overshadowed by the immense personality of his mentor and predecessor. Martin Van Buren was handpicked by Jackson to be his successor, so I often thought of him as being something of a lackey. 

Back of Lindenwald showing a later addition

Seeing Van Buren's house in Kinderhook, I had to rethink that assessment. The house is so unique, such a strange amalgamation of influences, that the man who lived there could not be as simple as I had assumed. The architecture is a mixture of the Federal, Victorian, and Italianate styles that doesn't quite add up to a cohesive whole.

Grand Hall

It's also full of awesome gadgets. The table picture above has over twenty leaves that can be taken out, and the rest of the table folds together like an accordion until it is the size of a small side table. The Grand Hall also houses a early form of the sofa bed you can make out on the far left end.

Best Bedroom where Henry Clay once slept

Original narrative wallpaper

The tour also took us down into the lower level of the house to show us where the servants lived and worked. It was a surprisingly large, clean space; it might not have been grand, but it seemed comfortable. The basement also housed the early form of running water built into the house.

Servants quarters dining room

Running water system

Bust of Van Buren in the library

View of stairs leading to the tower

All in all, I was surprised by how interesting and unexpected Lindenwald was. Although I'm still not terribly fond of Van Buren, I felt I finally understood him apart from his relationship with Jackson, although he was not wholly absent from the house. The walking stick he gave to Van Buren was made of hickory and had his name engraved on the silver plates placed over the knots in the wood. Needless to say, Jackson was not famous for his modesty. 

Van Buren died in his bedroom at Lindenwald in 1862. He spent his last weeks asking about the progress of the war, and his family didn't have the heart to tell him the truth of how poorly the war was going. Van Buren died with the hope that someday the country he loved and fought to hold together would one day be reunited again. 

Van Buren's bedroom

Guide showing the walking stick given to
Van Buren from Andrew Jackson