The Hallock House
Built prior to 1765

After the death of Stephanus Van Cortlandt in 1700, according to his will the lands of Van Cortlandt Manor were to be divided among his living heirs. It was not until 1732 that the land was surveyed for this purpose, under the direction of Philip Verplanck who had married Gertrude Van Cortlandt, granddaughter of Stephanus and who inherited her father's (Johannes) share as he had died in 1708.

The lands north of the Croton River were divided into "North and South Great Lots". Those lands lying north of the Croton but along the Hudson River were called "Front Lots". Below the Croton River, the divisions were called the "Lots South of the Croton River". All four sections of lots were numbered 1-10 as there were by 1732, just 10 heirs alive.

The farm on which this Hallock House stands was located in Great South Lot#4 that had been bequeathed to Stephanus Van Cortlandt's daughter Elizabeth who had married the Revered William Skinner of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The Skinners sold this farm in 1765 to a man named Michael McKeel who was then a tenant farmer living in this house. The house was obviously built before 1765, but just what date has not been ascertained.

In 1868, the property and house were owned by J. B. Hallock, a brother of the Hallock's for whom the town was originally named "Hallocks Mills" and later changed to Yorktown Heights.

This farm was acquired from one of the descendants of J. B. Hallock and restored in 1939 by the present owner, John M. O'Rourke.

The front and roadside exteriors of the house have original clapboards; the rear and north side clapboards were replaced. On the rear of the house was a woodshed which was in such a dilapidated condition that it was torn off and replaced by a rear porch and bathroom.

The window frames were replaced, but such of the original glass that was usable has been spotted in the new frames. Attention is called to the glass in the front door.

The original foundation was a dry stone wall and there was a basement only under the front living room, so the house had to be jacked up and a basement and stone foundation installed. The stone well in the front yard was the only water supply.

The heating system consisted of four fireplaces with two inside chimneys. The bricks of the chimneys were put together with sand lime and horse hair. However, these chimneys had to be rebuilt and the kitchen fireplace removed because they constituted a fire hazard due to their poor condition.

The interior plaster, consisting of sand, lime and horse hair was also in such poor condition that it was removed and the house replastered.

The floors in some of the rooms were warped due to rain leaking through the roof. The warped floor boards were taken up, water was poured on the reverse sides and the bards placed in the sun, whereupon they straightened out and were reset.

All the beams are original and have never been disturbed. They are put together with mortise and tenon joints fixed by wooden pegs. There are HL hinges on the upstairs bedrooms in the rear and strap hinges on the upstairs bathroom. This bathroom was originally a bedroom and had a small window near the floor instead of the present dormer window. Low windows such as this were called belly windows as one had to lie on one's belly in order to see out. Much of the original furnishings of the house had been sold, but a few pieces still remain: Two small tables and wood box in the dining room, the drop-leaf table, the picture of George Washington (and frame), the frame on the map of Yorktown, bottles on the window sill and the small bottle of snuff in the front living rooms. Upstairs, the rope bed and the trundle bed, the beds in the back bedrooms and the three drawer dresser, mirrors and picture frames were also found in the house.

Source: Westchester County Historical Society, 1967