OLD POSTCARDS OF JORDANVILLE

TOWN OF WARREN

HERKIMER COUNTY, NY

These are all early Beach "Real Photo" cards from Remsen, NY. Beach was an early 20th century photographer noted for his views of the Adirondacks region and the series of famous photos of the Herkimer Flood. The first four below are of the Mahaqua Farm (whatever that was). One card has "This is Senator Robinson's Farm" typed on the back. Another is postmarked 1917. The last three are of the Henderson House, an historic and unusual castle-like mansion in northwestern Town of Warren near the corner of the township.

Chris Devoe
August 2001

8/20/2001  See notes at end for more info from Steven Knight.

Mahaqua Farm, Jordanville, N.Y.

Sitting Room, Mahaqua Farm, Jordanville, N.Y.

Dining Room, Mahaqua Farm, Jordanville, N.Y.

Mahaqua Farm, Jordanville, N.Y.

Drawing Room, Henderson House, Jordanville, N.Y.

Henderson House, Jordanville, N.Y.

Henderson House, Jordanville, N.Y.

Hi Chris. My name is Steven Knight. I enjoyed the old post cards of Jordanville and may have some additional information about the subjects.

Back in the late 1950's when I was in high school Mahaqua Farm was a restaurant and riding stable. It closed and went private in the 1960's (I think). The house and buildings still stand and are occupied. (don't know who owns it now) and the place is very well maintained.

Henderson House is now owned by Mistislav Rostopovich (sp?) the famous Russian cellist. He's built a new house on the property since the old mansion is in a serious state of disrepair. The reference to Senator Robinson is that he was once the owner of the estate. I believe he or his wife was a descendant of the Henderson's. He owned the estate during the time that Theodore Roosevelt was President and Roosevelt visited there often. When I was young, the place was usually referred to as "the Robinson Mansion." The mansion house is supposed to be a copy of Gelston Castle in Ireland and has, at times, been called Gelston Castle. Between the time the Robinson's owned the mansion and Rostopovich bought it, it was run as a private rehab facility. The facility closed down and the place was empty for several years when Rostopovich bought it.

There is a large artificial pond on the estate and back in the 1960's a man drowned in it. His body became wedged in the outlet pipe that passes under the highway and couldn't be retrieved. The local fire departments spent days pumping water out of the pond in order to lower the water level and reduce the pressure against the body. The body was retrieved eventually but it took a long time.

Steven Knight
Herkimer, NY

Steve --
Thanks for the email; it adds to my knowledge of the cards. My family (DeVoe) settled in Jordanvile c. 1795 and was there until my ggfather was killed in a house fire in 1897 and the family moved to Utica. The last DeVoe in Warren died in the 1920s.

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