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