What to See in Tappan - Top Sights and Attractions

The DeWint House, in Tappan, New York, is one of the oldest surviving structures in Rockland County and is an outstanding example of Hudson Valley Dutch Colonial architecture. It was built using brick and indigenous stone in 1700 by Daniel DeClark, a Hollander, who emigrated to America in 1676 and bought the land from the native inhabitants in 1682. The date of construction is marked by glazed bricks incorporated into the façade.

In 1746, West Indies planter and American patriot Johannes DeWint and his spouse Antje Dewint bought the house. His daughter, Anna Maria, and her husband, Major Fredericus Blauvelt, lived in the house.

The DeWint House became a temporary headquarters of George Washington while he was Commander-in-Chief during the American Revolution. Washington was a guest in the south parlor twice in 1780 and twice in 1783. The "Washington Room" in the DeWint House is a National Masonic Historic Site.^[1]

Historical landmark in Tappan, New York. Major John André Monument, also known as the Site of Major John André's Hanging and Burial, is a historic monument located at Tappan in Rockland County, New York. It is a gray granite monument erected in 1879 and approximately 40 inches square and 58 inches tall. It is located in a circular plot approximately 31 feet in diameter. It commemorates the site of the hanging of Major John André on October 2, 1780.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

The monument was constructed in 1879 by millionaire Cyrus W. Field. It was dedicated on October 2, 1879. It was quite controversial when it was first constructed, and there were three attempts to destroy the monument:

• On February 22, 1882, the monument was hacked and mutilated by George Hendrix, of New York City.
• On March 30, 1882 at 11:35 PM, an explosion slightly damaged the monument.
• On November 3, 1885 at 10:00 PM, an explosion destroyed the iron fence surrounding the monument and toppled the monument.

It was felt that a monument to a British spy was an insult to George Washington; for this reason, a bronze tablet was later added to commemorate the bravery of Washington and his generals during a crisis of the war.

After Cyrus Field's death, his heirs refused to pay the taxes of $6.38 on the property. George Dickey of Nyack bought the land in a tax auction in October 1895. Mr. Dickey sold the land to the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society for $250 on November 13, 1905. After the Society disbanded in 1983, the property was conveyed to Rockland County NY.^[2]