Hours of Operation:  Open in conjunction with the Museum of Rhinebeck History beginning in the middle of June through the last weekend of October.  The Museum is open from 2 until 4 each Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment.  To make an appointment, please contact the Quitman House at info@quitmanpreservation.org, at (845) 871-1798, or Ada Harrison, of the Museum of History at Rhinebeck, at (845) 876-4902.  The house is wheelchair accessible, but limited to the first floor. Please call for more specific information.

In 1798 the Palatine congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Peter the Apostle, Rhinebeck, New York, built an Adams style house for its pastor, the Reverend Frederick H. Quitman. The parsonage complemented the Stone Church, which had been constructed in 1786 on land purchased from Gilbert Livingston.

The two buildings stood at the crest of a hill on the west side of the King's Highway. Surrounding the Church lands were the 18th Century farms of the congregation. Frederick Quitman, a native of Germany, served the Rhinebeck pastorate from February 1798 until ill health forced his retirement in 1828. The Lutheran Church in this country recognized him in his day as one of its leading thinkers and spokesmen. Harvard University honored him with a Doctoral degree in 1814.

Of his seven children, three became distinguished in either local or national history. William Quitman was a respected local physician and Henry S. Quitman served as Rhinebeck's Town Supervisor in the 1830's. John A. Quitman became a governor of Mississippi, and during the Mexican War, distinguished himself as a brigadier general.  

The parsonage housed St. Peter's pastors until 1929, when due to declining church membership, it became rental property. It continued as such until 1974, when the house was saved from demolition by six concerned members of the Rhinebeck Historical Society. In 1975, its historical importance was recognized when the Stone Church complex was listed on the NY State and National Registers of Historic Places.

The Quitman Resource Center for Preservation was incorporated in 1976 as a non-profit organization and the house was renamed for its original occupant, the Reverend Frederick H. Quitman.  In 1986 the Town of Rhinebeck recognized the Quitman House as a local landmark.

The QRC Today

When the Quitman Resource Center for Preservation quietly celebrated its thirtieth anniversary year in 2004, members of the board had the opportunity to reflect on the many accomplishments the organization had made in its lifetime:

 ·  the completion of the Quitman House rehabilitation;

 ·  the provision of office and exhibition space for the Town Historian, Museum of Rhinebeck History,
    Hudson River Heritage, and Winnakee Land Trust;

 ·  the collaboration of numerous history oriented organizations in submitting material
    for a computerized database;

 ·  the nucleus of a preservation resource library;

 ·  the acquisition of an 18th century Palatine Farmstead;

 ·  the presentation of preservation workshops for the local community;

 ·  and the creation of a garden in memory of board member, Ernie Foss.

Not an easy feat for a relatively small collection of volunteers, who, along with a group of annual supporters and the leadership of John and Marilyn Hatch, have given Rhinebeck a historic house which more than lends itself to Rhinebeck's sense of place.

Located between Rhinebeck and Red Hook at 7015 Route 9 (½ mile north of Route 9G), the Quitman House is easily reached by car from the New York State Thruway or from the Taconic State Parkway. 

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