To the Editor:
Please help save the 1765 Yelverton Inn in Chester. This building, 10 years older than our country, is a witness to our early Colonial and Revolutionary War history and is important not just to Chester, but to Orange County and the nation.
The Yelverton Inn is little changed from when it was witness to historic events.
The long-time owner is ill and in a nursing facility. The Inn has just been put up for sale/development to help pay for his care. The Yelverton Inn should be saved and turned into a museum that could also bring tourists and revenue into the area. Visitors can walk the same floorboards and sit in front of the hearth where Washington, Hamilton, Burr, and other famous people lingered.
Please write or call as many local officials as possible. The Village of Chester needs to change the zoning and adopt a resolution to protect it. Even though it’s on the National Register of Historic Places, that won’t save it. A new owner can tear it down. Time is of the essence.
The Daughters of the American Revolution put up a plaque on the exterior, honoring George Washington’s visit on July 27, 1782. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr both stayed at the Yelverton Inn, off and on, from May through October 1785. They were there for an extensive land dispute hearing to determine the boundary between two large land grants.
Henry Wisner of Goshen was chosen at the Yelverton Inn to represent the area at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. He voted for the Declaration of Independence, but had to leave early before the signing in August.
During the Revolutionary War, Colonel Alexander Hamilton and Captain Caleb Gibbs, stopped at the Yelverton on Nov. 1, 1777 and on Nov. 14, 1777. Revolutionary militia gathered there before going off to fight the British.
For additional information, please visit https://shorturl.at/5sblo.
Save this rare and unique witness to history!
Ginny Privitar
Chester Historical Society and Friends of the Yelverton Inn