Annual Harvest Festival: Sunday, October 10, 2010; 12PM-4PM Save
the date for a special day. Join the Greater Ridgewood Historical
Society for our annual Harvest Festival, a great time with many fun and
historical activities for the whole family. Click here for more details...
Car Show at the Strawberry Festival: View Slideshow
We
are open on Saturdays, from 1 - 5 PM, unless noted. Suggested donation
$3.00 adults, $1.00 children except for special events or programs.
|  Victorian Room, restoration by R. Aspell (photo DTD 2010)
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Victor
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Onderdonk House Wine Tasting Party
The Onderdonk House and friends hosted a wine tasting party that
featured wines from the Finger Lakes region and accompaniments.
Raise the Roof at the Onderdonk House! - GRHS and Waste Management celebrated the 300th anniversary of the House and helped raise funds to replace the failing roof
View "Historic House In Need Of Renovations": a NY1 Report
A Summer Wedding - A slideshow of a special event at the House.
Educators - Reserve class trips to the Onderdonk House. Check available dates, download a reservation form and arrange a visit for your class.
 (Photo: DT Dougherty, 2009) UPDATE! Richard Asbell of Glendale won the handmade Quilt by Eileen Baxter, and that longtime member Rose LaRocca of Ridgewood won the pillar candle from Williamsburg as a consolation prize. Interested in becoming a member? Download our membership form here. (Photo: DT Dougherty, 2009) The Society was the grateful recipient of 27 trees as part of the One Million Trees, NYC tree planting initiative. We will be revamping our Education Program to include a lesson on our new trees. We also have a "gardening group" that is volunteering on Monday's. Besides weeding and watering, they tackled resetting the front brick walkway leading to the stone house. Want to join? Stop by on Monday mornings, after 9 AM.

Front exterior view of the Onderdonk House from Flushing Avenue. (Photo: Ellen Brody-Kirmss, 2005) 
Rear exterior view of the Onderdonk House from Flushing Avenue. (Photo: Ellen Brody-Kirmss, 2005) 
Arbitration Rock, the most prominent marker along the January 7, 1769 Survey Line, settled the century-old boundary dispute between the towns of Bushwick and Newtown, and the counties of Queens and Kings. The rock was originally located 297 feet northwest of the Vander Ende-Onderdonk House, several feet below the current roadbed of Onderdonk Avenue. It was buried about 1930 when the area on the northerly side of Flushing Avenue was graded in preparation for the opening of part of Onderdonk Avenue. Arbitration Rock was moved to its current site behind the Onderdonk House along the old boundary line on August 8, 2001. (Photo: Robert Alan Espino, 2006)  | Welcome to the official Web site of The Greater Ridgewood Historical Society and The Vander Ende-Onderdonk House The Vander Ende-Onderdonk House, located in Ridgewood on the border of Queens and Brooklyn, is the oldest Dutch Colonial stone ho
Ridgewood, NY Updated Thursday, July 29, 2010 7:51 PM
 Partly Cloudy | 84°F | High: 90°F Low: 69°F Wind: 14 mph Humidity: 39%
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use in New York City. Peter Stuyvesant granted the land it sits on in the mid-seventeenth century, and by 1660, Hendrick Barents Smidt occupied a small house on the site. In 1709, Paulus Vander Ende of Flatbush purchased the farm and began construction of the current house. The building was a prominent marker in the 1769 settlement of the boundary dispute between Bushwick in Kings County and Newtown in Queens County. During the 1820's, Adrian Onderdonk erected a small frame addition to the stone house immediately above the remnants of the foundation of the 1660 building. Its architectural features are typical of Dutch buildings in this period: a gambrel roof, Dutch doors, central hallway and double hung windows with shutters. The Greater Ridgewood Historical Society was established in 1975 by a group of local residents to prevent the demolition of the Vander Ende Onderdonk House. From 1975 until 1981, the GRHS raised funds to reconstruct the house which had been seriously damaged by fire, and in 1976, published a history of the greater Ridgewood area, entitled Our Community, Its History and People. In 1977, the House and property were listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1978, granted the same status on the New York State Register. The House was given New York City landmark status in June of 1996. With the help of Federal, State and local funds, the Onderdonk House was opened to the public in 1982.  The House serves as a museum for a permanent exhibit on the archaeology of the Onderdonk site, as well as changing exhibits relating to history, the arts and culture. The Society also maintains a history and genealogical research library, and offers many cultural events annually, including: guided house tours, history lectures and programs, genealogy workshops, craft classes and special events, such as St. Nicholas Day and other Dutch celebrations. The history and location of the house provide a rich educational and cultural experience for visitors. Our programs are supported by public service contracts from the City of New York, Department of Cultural Affairs, State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Queens Borough President, Helen Marshall, and the membership and friends of the Society. If you would like to receive notices about upcoming events, send your email address to info@onderdonkhouse.org and we will add you to our distribution list. 
Recently uncovered fireplace, the oldest in the house, with interior side bake oven. (Photo: Robert Alan Espino, 2007)

Antique Cash Register, kindly on loan from our friends at Waste Management. (Photo: Charles Sanchez, 2009)
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This page was last modified on Sunday, July 18, 2010 06:15:33 PM