History - The Farm

The founding father of our Dyckman family was Jan Dyckman, who arrived in
New Amsterdam in the 1600's from Westphalia. By the time of the American
Revolution, the Dyckman family homestead was located roughly near 210th
Street and the East River and Jan's grandson William had inherited Dyckman
land from his father. During the British occupation of Manhattan in 1776-83,
William Dyckman and his family fled their home and sought refuge in upstate
New York.

When the War ended, William returned to find the family home and orchards
destroyed. It is believed that he immediately began building a new house, but
chose a new location --- directly on Kingsbridge Road (Broadway). When
William died in 1787, the family initially advertised the property for sale but
ultimately his son Jacobus took over the house and farm. However, the ad is
excellent documentation of how much work the family and slaves had done to
rebuild the farm in less than five years. The ad describes the property as
convenient for fishing and containing both salt and fresh meadowland, a barn
and other outhouses in good repair as well as a young orchard.

Jacobus moved into the farmhouse around 1793 and inherited a modest farmhouse that he would alter
significantly over the next several decades. The makeup of the household also changed drastically over
the years as family members died or moved away and household help transitioned from slave to free.
Jacobus and his wife Hannah had eleven children, yet most of them were born before they moved to the
house. Hannah died in 1814, a time when there was already a great deal of loss within the family.
Between 1809 and 1822, Jacobus lost four sons, a daughter and his wife.

By 1820, there were 10 people living in the household. Jacobus was the head of a household that
included: three of his sons (Jacob, Isaac and Michael), his young grandson James Frederick Smith, his
niece Maria, one unidentified white women, a free black woman, a free black boy and one enslaved
male.

There were also roughly 20 people living in three other houses scattered across the roughly 250 acre
farm. The residents included laborers and other Dyckman family members.

While the size of the farm fluctuated under Jacobus' ownership the farm was roughly 250 acres in size.
Jacobus would add and subtract land to the family holdings but during this period it was roughly a 250
acre farm. The boundaries of the farm would have stretched from river to river east to west, and from
roughly modern-day 213th Street to the north down to the 190's to the south. The farmyard, the area right
around the farmhouse, included the main outbuildings for the farm, including a cider mill, corn cribs, barn
and stable.

Because of the rocky terrain in Northern Manhattan, only certain areas would have been be appropriate
for crops such as corn, cucumbers, cabbage and hay. Other areas were ideally suited for fruit orchards
with cherry and apple trees. The inclusion of a cider mill within the farmyard indicates that there were
enough apple trees to make that a cider mill was worthwhile.

We do not yet know if or to what extent the Dyckman's brought produce to market. Since the family left no
records of the farm, this remains a topic for further research.

The farmhouse consisted of two large parlors and two small bedrooms on the first floor. These small
private bedrooms would mostly likely have been used by Jacobus, as head of household, and Maria, as a
young female family member.

It is believed that the second floor was one open space up until the 1820s when it was divided into the
separate bedrooms still present today. Jacobus' sons and grandson probably would have slept in this
space.

The farmhouse had two kitchens during this period. The Winter Kitchen, located in the main farmhouse,
and would have kept the farmhouse warm during the cold months. In the heat of summer the cooking
would have moved to the Summer Kitchen, a small one and a half story building adjacent to the
farmhouse. The Summer Kitchen also had a small bedroom space above it and it is believed that the free
blacks and enslaved workers would have used this space.

Jacobus lived in the farmhouse until his death in 1832. His sons Isaac and Michael continued to live in
the farmhouse until the early 1850's when they moved to another house on the property. When Jacobus'
last son, Isaac, died in 1868, much of the family land was sold for development. James Frederick Smith,
the young grandson of Jacobus who moved into the farmhouse in the early 19th century, changed his
name to Isaac Michael Dyckman in honor of his uncles and inherited some Dyckman land. His daughters
were responsible for the preservation of the farmhouse in 1915/16