Photo taken c. 1900   The old photo is a copy of a postcard of the Bennett Hill House on Bennett Hill Road, Clarksville, NY. The stone section of the house, on the right, was the original house built in 1821 by builder William C. Hewitt. Hewitt built the house for William and Elizabeth Chapman. Limestone used in the house was obtained locally and Hewitt carved his initials and date into the stone near the roofline on the east wall.


Photo taken 2013  On January 17, 1834, William and Elizabeth Chapman sold the property to Rushmore and Thomas D. Bennett (Rushmore’s younger brother) for $2,250.00. They built the framed additions on the house, soon after purchasing the property. Rushmore built a large gristmill on the Onesquethaw Creek at Clarksville. For about 3 decades, Rushmore’s daughter, Elizabeth H. Rowe ran a summer boarding house here. The "Bennett Hill House" could accommodate 40 guests, May through October, at a rate of $14.00 per week. Transportation charges from New York City to the Feura Bush West Shore Railroad Station were $4.36 and conveyance from the station to the "Bennett Hill House" was 50 cents per person and baggage was free. The carriage platform can be seen in the photo on the left. It was used for loading and unloading guests from wagons, which transported them from the railroad stations. The wrap around porch was removed several years ago.