Odell House

Odell House
size
Odell House is located in New York
Odell House
Location425 Ridge Road, Greenburgh, New York, United States
Coordinates41°1′10″N 73°49′4″W / 41.01944°N 73.81778°W / 41.01944; -73.81778
Area1 acre (0.40 hectares)
Built1732
Websitehttps://www.odellrochambeau.org/
NRHP reference No.73001286[1][2]
Added to NRHPMarch 28, 1973 (1973-03-28)

The Odell House is a historic house museum located at 425 Ridge Road in Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York. The house and surrounding farmland (at the time known as the Bates farm[3]) served as the headquarters of Count de Rochambeau and campsite for the French expeditionary forces, Expédition Particulière, under his command during the American Revolutionary War, from July 6 to August 18, 1781.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1][2] In 2026, it became a public museum, Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, preserving the legacy of the Franco-American alliance in the Revolutionary War.[4][5]

Description and history

The house consists of a 1+1⁄2-story central section erected in 1732, with flanking wings. The east wing was built in 1765 as a 1+1⁄2-story structure and raised to a full two stories in 1785. The central section and east wing are of wood-frame construction, covered with cedar shingles, and rest on a fieldstone foundation. The two-story stone west wing was built between 1853 and 1855. The house features three divided Dutch doors.

In July-August 1781, while Rochambeau and his forces were camped at the Bates farm, General George Washington and the Continental Army camped nearby at the Appleby Farm. The encampment became known as Philipsburg Camp as the land belonged to the massive colonial landholding, Philipsburg Manor. It was here that the French forces under Rochambeau and the American forces under Washington united for the first time during the Revolutionary War.[6]

One of the first residents of Westchester to volunteer for the Westchester County Militia in 1776, John Odell[7][8] served as a scout for Washington during the Philipsburg encampment. He was later commissioned a Colonel in the New York State Militia by Governor John Jay. After the war, Colonel Odell purchased the house and the surrounding farm.

In 2020, the house was deeded to the town of Greenburgh. The nonprofit group, Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, worked with the town to restore the property and create a museum.[4] Construction began in March 2021 and was completed in 2026. For her leadership in saving and restoring the house, Susan Seal, president of the Friends of Odell House, was named a Knight (Chevalier) in France's Ordre national du Mérite (National Order of Merit),[9] which is the second-highest award given to civilians by the French government.

References

  1. ^ a b Rennenkampf, Lenore M. (February 1973). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Odell House. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved December 5, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
  2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  3. ^ "Greenburgh's Odell House Set To Be Restored!". Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters".
  5. ^ Video presentation by Friends of OHRH (June 22, 2020). The Amazing Story of Odell House in the Revolutionary War – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route". Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. National Park Service. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Weiselberg, Erik (May 15, 2020). "Revolutionary Westchester: John Odell, General Washington's Westchester Guide, Part I". The Hudson Independent.
  8. ^ Weiselberg, Erik (July 28, 2020). "Revolutionary Westchester: John Odell, General Washington's Westchester Guide, Part 2 of 2". The Hudson Independent.
  9. ^ "Susan Seal to be knighted by French government for saving Odell House- which will become a Museum". Town of Greenburgh, NY. Archived from the original on February 13, 2026.

See also


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