First constructed by Martin Janse Van Alstyne before 1730 the home also functioned as a tavern and meeting place with the start of the American Revolution.

By 1775 it was owned by Goshen (Goose) Van Alstyne and was a frequent meeting place for the Tryon County Committee of Safety.

Nicholas Herkimer accepted his new commission here as Chief Colonel and was later appointed General of the all volunteer force of American frontier soldiers.

Rufus Grider, a Moravian immigrant and late 19th century artist, purchased and renovated the old homestead in 1885 to create one of New York's first museums of its kind.

Today it is run by the Van Alstyne Homestead Society and is open to the public for tours during the summer season on Saturdays.