New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-04-29
ANDRES PRISON.
BE A SOAP FACTORY.

Whenever the hand of commerce or the spirit
of Improvement lays hold of spot which has
become widely known because of its historical
associations the people who live in it's vicinity
naturally oppose the movement and efforts are
usually made to preserve the historical places
This sentiment has been the means of prevent
ing the destruction of many interesting archi-
tectural features in the vicinity of New-York
and caused comment last week when the report
was circulated that the old 1T Stone House"
at Tappan, where Major Andre was confined
after his capture by John Pauiding David Will
Jams and Isaac Van Wart was to be converted
into prosaic soap boiling establishment.
The stone house has been the show place of
or patriotic people have made the trip 10 Tap
pan to see ii. 1t was built in 1855 in what is
no" the main street of the village, about two
and one-half miles from the river by a man
named Mabe, public house
From Mabie," said Henry Ryerson one of
the patriarchs of the place the house went to
younger Mahie, who sold it to a Mr. Du Bay
VINO ran public house there for about fifty
years and then it became the property of Mr.
Snedeker, who owned it only a short time. The
next owner was Mrs. Stevens. and then Tom
wendell bought it. 1 became the next owner
and kept the house for twenty-five years Peo-
pie drove here from all around and many a
Sunday L victualed as many as seyentv-fve
people who were all interested in the house and
wanted TO See where Andre was kept locked up
before he hanged"
Sherlfs sale brought the house into the
possession of DR.. Stevens and while he oD,rad
II 1t was kept closed many wears and tho
visitors to the old landmark could see only tho
eN'eilor- Inc house went to ruin and when the
present owner Charles Pike, bought it in 1897
ter ma RI of
stone The house was rebuilt and while -
may now contain much of the buiIdinp r,atsria,
Vi the original structure, it is practically = nev
mousse ana is in that respect much IiLa En-
"@ShIhstons headquarters of which ther. is
t''so d specimen IN another part of the viIIaea
Inc present owners license to sell liouor ON tn
premises mas been revoked hence the talk nf
converting the new old house into a scan fac
tory. '"0
'S'''ies haftow. Wen preserved man Of ais.b+,.
TWO another Of the old citizens of the n,aca in
0Pe"NihS OF the incidents which made the o11
stone house famous. said:
My peopla owned the place ON Tho ,,, 49,.
u 'he village when Andre was hanged - and no
ieu the way past the old church which stands
on the site of the Reformed Protestant Du,oh
Church' where the Andre trial took place 70 H.
spot where the last scene in the Andre traea,,.
was enacted What was narrow trail AT thar
tlIne Is we'll made road which leads across H.
West Shore Railroad tracks and up a hill Han1-
some houses look down upon it, and NO..
street to the left from tfs road brings the
visitor to a circular plot incosed by a hand
some iron railing
This Is the spot TO which Andre was brought
Tor execution after all efforts on the mart =,
Sir Henry Clinton 10 save him had failed I, 4
on high ground. and overlooks a beautifuI vol
ley and although the plot is only a short dis