Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site, State historic site in Vails Gate, New York, United States
Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site is a preserved 18th-century property in New Windsor, New York, centered on a Georgian-style house built in 1754. The house retains much of its original interior, and the surrounding grounds also include several outbuildings and the visible remains of an old mill that once operated on the site.
The property was established as a working mill by Dutch settlers before the current house was built in 1754 by the Ellison family, who owned a significant amount of land in the Hudson Valley. During 1782 and 1783, the house was taken over by the Continental Army and used as officers' quarters as the Revolutionary War came to a close.
The site takes its name from General Henry Knox, who used the house as his base during the final phase of the Revolutionary War, though the building already had a long civilian history before that. Visitors today can walk through rooms furnished in the style of the 18th century and get a sense of how officers and their households lived during wartime.
The house can be visited with a guided tour, while the grounds and outbuildings are generally accessible on foot without a guide. Wearing comfortable shoes is helpful, as parts of the outdoor area have uneven ground near the old mill remains.
Despite the name, General Knox never owned the house and lived there only briefly while on duty, as the property remained in the Ellison family throughout the war. The building is sometimes also called the Ellison House, which reflects its civilian origins more accurately than the military name most visitors know it by.
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