Sherwood House Historic Timeline and Images

1740 - Thomas Sherwood built the farmhouse along an old Native American trail, as a tenant farmer of the Philipsburgh Manor in the same year his son, Stephen, was born.
 
1756 - Thomas Sherwood is elected to the position of Constable and Collector of Philipsburgh, a position he maintains until 1779.
 
1776 - On October of this year the old Native American trail that would someday become Tuckahoe Road was widened by order of General George Washington for the passage of the Continental Army. It is likely Thomas and Stephen Sherwood assisted with the process, since it went right past their farm and would be beneficial to them. Washington inspected the road the next day on the 17th passing by the Sherwood Farm. In addition, Thomas Sherwood served as an ensign for the New York Militia during the American Revolutionary War.
 
1779 - British General Sir Banastre Tarleton passed by the Sherwood farm with 300 troops on their way to raid Bedford at around midnight on July 1st during a rainstorm.
 
1785 - Stephen Sherwood purchased the land at an auction, after it was confiscated from Frederick Philipse III by the State of New York due to his Loyalist views.
 
1787 - For some unknown reason Stephen Sherwood sold the land and Jabez Fowler became the new owner of the Sherwood Farm.
 
1801 - Dr. John I. Ingersoll of Connecticut purchased the old Sherwood farm from Jabez Fowler and became Yonkers’ first medical doctor, attending to patients throughout all of Lower Westchester County.
 
1810 - A ground floor annex was added by Dr. Ingersoll to act as his office.
 
1827 - Dr. Ingersoll died of delirium tremens.
 
1828 - Abraham Lynt became the next owner of the house.
 
1831 - Joshua Huestio was next to take over ownership of the property.
 
1834 - Frederick Weed, a retired businessman, purchased the farm and it would remain with his family for many generations. It is believed construction of the Weed Caretaker's Cottage began this year based on an engraved stone of the steps leading to it. 
 
1841 - Frederick Weed died and the house passed on to his son, Isaac.
 
1850 - A lot of constructive work was done on the property. Isaac Weed added a second floor to the south annex originally created by Dr. Ingersoll. The red barn was also built around this time. It is possible the stone wall might have been added, as well, if it did not already exist prior to this time. 

1857 - Isaac Weed died at an early age.

1858 - According to a painting, by this time, there were two barns south of the main house and the well was already in a covered structure near the cottage. There was also an additional shed near the entrance road at Tuckahoe Road. 
 
1863 - Isabelle Weed married Henry R. Hicks and they moved into the cottage.
 
1880 - Henry Hicks expanded the south wing annex of the house by another room on both the ground floor and the first floor.
 
1901 - Angeline Weed died.
 
1902 - Henry and Isabelle move into the house and Hicks makes improvements, which include adding electricity and a lean-to at the rear of the house containing a bathroom.
 
1923 - Henry and Isabelle’s granddaughter, Elsa Hicks Kroeber, sold the house to a realty company, after their deaths.
 
1923 - Sherwood House became the Royal Farms Tavern, and sometime later the Red Barn Farm.
 
1940 - Pietro Magnaldi and his wife, Virginia, bought the restaurant and soon changed the name to the Royal Farm International House.
 
1954 - The Consolidated Edison Company of New York acquired the property from the Magnaldi family and the restaurant was closed.
 
1955 - The Yonkers Historical Society was allowed to lease the property from Con Ed with the agreement that they would restore it to its original condition and turn it into a museum. The Magnaldis moved into the cottage and agreed to act as caretakers.
 
1962 - The Sherwood House once again opened to the public, but this time as a museum.
 
1964 - The five Federated Garden Clubs of Yonkers donated the Colonial Garden. Sadly, Pietro Magnaldi also died in this year, but his wife remained as caretaker until the early 1980s.
 
1984 - Sherwood House was added to the National Resister of Historic Places.
 
2014 - The fir porch beams were refurbished at the ground floor level and the interior of the barn was reorganized making room for events to be held within.
 
2015 - An inventory project begins with the help of Yonkers high school students, while plans for installing handicap access start to take shape. The house celebrates its 275th year with an anniversary gala event held at Zuppa’s restaurant. 

2017 - New minor repair projects begin to improve the condition of the main house and its surrounding structures. 

2019 - The cottage gets a makeover thanks to the Scarsdale Eagle Scouts of Troop 2 and our historic sign is reset on Tuckahoe Road. Major reconstructive repairs begin on the north wall of the main house. 
​

Sherwood House Medal by Jacqueline Lorieo (2015)

The following photos were scanned from old slides stored at the house. It is likely they are from the early 1970s because the wire fence was removed in 1973 and replaced with the current rustic wooden fence. The house had fewer exhibits during this time. The top floor was being used as part of the museum open to the public, which is no longer allowed due to fire safety codes.