Thaddeus Hait Farm

Thaddeus Hait Farm is a historic agricultural property on Allhusen Road near the hamlet of Modena in the Town of Plattekill, New York. The property occupies approximately 142 acres on both sides of the road and includes 15 contributing buildings and structures arranged in two related groups. It is notable both for its architectural integrity and for the continuity of agricultural use: the site began as an early nineteenth-century family farm and remains an operating agricultural property, with vineyards and wine production forming its current commercial identity. Thaddeus Hait, a member of a prosperous Westchester County family, acquired the original 97 acres in 1819. The road was then known as the Milton Turnpike and carried traffic connected with the region's distilleries. Hait expanded the holding over the following nine years by purchasing additional land, eventually establishing the property's approximate present extent. The farm remained in the Hait family until a grandson sold it in 1888. After two subsequent ownership periods, the Allhusen family purchased the property in 1906 and operated it as a dairy farm until 1973. The road was later renamed Allhusen Road after that family. Following additional changes in ownership, the Adair family brought the property's agricultural use back toward its earlier farming roots by establishing a winery. The property was subsequently sold to Marc and Lori Stopkie, who retained the Adair name for the vineyard operation. Adair Vineyards produces wine from grapes including Seyval blanc, Vignoles, Foch, and Millot. The vineyard operation occupies about 100 acres and has been described as producing approximately 20,000 bottles annually. A tasting facility is located on the south side of Allhusen Road, east of the principal house. The farm's buildings provide an unusually complete record of regional agricultural development. The principal residence is a Federal-style house built around 1825, using both wood and stone in a combination that is uncommon for the style in the area. A frame addition was made to the west wing in the late nineteenth century. The house retains historic interior moldings, although its exterior cladding was changed from its original clapboard treatment to cedar in the 1950s. Nearby agricultural structures include a stone barn believed to date from roughly the same period as the house and a later wooden barn with a similar configuration. A second building group south of the road is organized around a New World Dutch barn that predates the main house. Originally associated with wheat farming, the barn was adapted for winemaking around 1986. Other structures in this group include a smokehouse, an icehouse, an 1873 granary, and an early twentieth-century outhouse. The remains of an earlier late-eighteenth- or early-nineteenth-century stone house and its well are also present. The farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, recognizing its architectural significance, historic agricultural layout, and largely intact collection of contributing resources.

Thaddeus Hait established the property in its recognizable form after purchasing 97 acres in 1819 and adding approximately 35 more acres during the following nine years. The farm stood along the Milton Turnpike, an active route associated with traffic from nearby distilleries. Its principal residence was built around 1825 in the Federal style, using a distinctive combination of wood and stone. The site also developed a group of agricultural buildings, including a stone barn and a second barn of comparable configuration. Ownership remained with Hait's family until 1888, when his grandson sold the farm. The property subsequently passed through two other ownership periods before being acquired by the Allhusen family in 1906. The Allhusens operated it as a dairy farm for decades and retained it until 1973. The road later became known as Allhusen Road, reflecting the family's local association with the property. After further changes in ownership, the Adair family reoriented the property toward wine production. This represented a modern agricultural adaptation of the historic farm rather than an abandonment of its original land-based function. Around 1986, the older New World Dutch barn south of the road was adapted for winemaking. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The farm later came under the ownership of Marc and Lori Stopkie, who retained the Adair name for the vineyard business. Adair Vineyards uses approximately 100 acres for grape production and has been described as producing about 20,000 bottles annually. Its reported grape varieties include Seyval blanc, Vignoles, Foch, and Millot, and a tasting facility operates on the south side of Allhusen Road east of the main house. The historic resource consists of two principal groups on opposite sides of the road. The northern group centers on the Federal-style house and nearby barns. The house retains original interior molding, while its exterior underwent a cedar-cladding change in the 1950s; a frame extension was added to the west wing in the late nineteenth century. The southern group centers on the Dutch barn and includes a smokehouse, icehouse, 1873 granary, and early twentieth-century outhouse. Archaeological and structural remnants include the foundation and well of an earlier stone house. Together, these elements preserve a layered record of family farming, dairy production, and later vineyard use.

• 1988

  National Register of Historic Places listing

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  The property was listed for its historic architecture, agricultural setting, and collection of contributing resources.

• 1986

  Dutch barn adapted for winemaking

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  The older Dutch barn south of the road was converted for use in the vineyard and winery operation.

• 1973

  Allhusen dairy-farm period ends

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  The Allhusen family's long period of ownership and dairy use concluded.

• 1906

  Allhusen family purchases the farm

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  The Allhusen family acquired the property and operated it as a dairy farm until 1973.

• 1888

  Hait family ownership ends

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  Thaddeus Hait's grandson sold the property after several generations of family ownership.

• 1873

  Granary constructed

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  A granary that remains among the property's contributing agricultural structures was built.

• 1828

  Farm reaches its approximate present extent

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  Hait's additional land purchases over the preceding nine years had expanded the property into its established form.

• 1825

  Principal Federal-style house constructed

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  The main house was built around this time using an unusual combination of wood and stone.

• 1819

  Thaddeus Hait acquires the original farm acreage

  [1]Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org

  Thaddeus Hait purchased the original 97-acre tract that became the core of the farm.

A historic Hudson Valley farm and vineyard combining preserved early nineteenth-century agricultural architecture with contemporary wine production.

• Wine

  Adair Vineyards wines

  The farm's current agricultural identity is associated with Adair Vineyards, which produces wines from grapes grown on approximately 100 acres. Reported varieties include Seyval blanc, Vignoles, Foch, and Millot. Production is integrated with a tasting facility on the south side of Allhusen Road and with the adaptive reuse of a historic Dutch barn for winemaking.

1. 1Thaddeus Hait Farmen.wikipedia.org