Crailo State Historic Site

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Crailo State Historic Site Located in Rensselaer, NY, Crailo State Historic Site is the Museum of the Colonial Dutch in the Hudson River Valley.

Located in Rensselaer, Crailo is the museum of the Colonial Dutch in New York's Hudson River Valley. Originally a part of the vast landholding called the Manor or Patroonship of Rensselaerswyck, the Crailo farm was named after the Van Rensselaer's estate in the Netherlands, variously spelled Crayloo or Cralo in the 17th century, and meaning "crows' wood" in Dutch. Crailo was built in the early 18th century by Hendrick Van Rensselaer, grandson of the First Patroon. Hendrick died in 1740 and his eldest son, Johannes, inherited Crailo. He remodeled the house and added an east wing in the Georgian style, reflecting the increasing influence of the English on the Albany-area Dutch. In the late 18th century, Crailo was remodeled in the Federal style. It served as a boys' boarding school in the 1840s and later as a church rectory. Each new venture brought more changes to the structure. In 1924 Crailo was donated to New York State for development as a museum. Crailo today tells the story of the early Dutch inhabitants of the upper Hudson Valley through exhibits highlighting archeological finds from the Albany Fort Orange excavations, special programs, and guided tours of the museum. Outreach programs to schools and hearthside cooking programs are available by reservation.

We had a spooktacular time at Haunted Tales. Thank you to our performers for their eerie storytelling and for all our vi...
10/20/2026

We had a spooktacular time at Haunted Tales. Thank you to our performers for their eerie storytelling and for all our visitors who were brave enough to hear our chilling tales! 👻🎃

There's still time to register for "Haunted Tales from the Crow's Wood", happening 6:30PM-8:00PM on Saturday, October 17...
10/11/2026

There's still time to register for "Haunted Tales from the Crow's Wood", happening 6:30PM-8:00PM on Saturday, October 17th.

Join us around the campfire for an evening of specters, strange tales, and portents of doom! We'll be telling local legends and other spooky stories inspired by the 17th and 18th century colonists of the Hudson River Valley.

Free c***r and donuts will be available for you to enjoy. Bring lawn chairs and dress for the outdoors. The faint of heart are invited to paint spooky pumpkins.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a free event, but reservations are required. Please call us at 518-463-8738 to reserve your spot!

🖼 Detail from Study of Young Horsemen, pl. XV from "Recueil de caricatures", Ange-Laurent de La Live de Jully, c. 1754, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Come get spooky with us at "Haunted Tales from the Crow's Wood", happening 6:30PM-8:00PM on Saturday, October 17th.Join ...
10/07/2026

Come get spooky with us at "Haunted Tales from the Crow's Wood", happening 6:30PM-8:00PM on Saturday, October 17th.

Join us around the campfire for an evening of specters, strange tales, and portents of doom! We'll be telling local legends and other spooky stories inspired by the 17th and 18th century colonists of the Hudson River Valley.

Free c***r and donuts will be available for you to enjoy. Bring lawn chairs and dress for the outdoors. The faint of heart are invited to paint spooky pumpkins.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a free event, but reservations are required. Please call us at 518-463-8738 to reserve your spot!

🖼 Nocturnal Scene: Couple Walking behind a Woman with a Lantern, Gesina ter Borch, c. 1655, Rijksmuseum

10/03/2026
Please Note: Due to a prescheduled group visit the last tour offered on Friday, October 2nd, will begin at 3pm. Thank yo...
09/30/2026

Please Note: Due to a prescheduled group visit the last tour offered on Friday, October 2nd, will begin at 3pm.
Thank you for your understanding!

Another Harvest Faire is in the books! The staff at Crailo and the Friends of Fort Crailo would like to thank all the vo...
09/22/2026

Another Harvest Faire is in the books! The staff at Crailo and the Friends of Fort Crailo would like to thank all the volunteers, demonstrators and historic interpreters who helped make this day successful and enjoyable for our visitors. Thank you!
(Especially you Fergus😉😆)

Today's the day! We can't wait to see you Crailo for our annual Harvest Faire!
09/19/2026

Today's the day! We can't wait to see you Crailo for our annual Harvest Faire!

Join us for our annual Harvest Faire event on Saturday, September 19th, 2026 from 11AM to 4PM!An old-fashioned agricultu...
09/11/2026

Join us for our annual Harvest Faire event on Saturday, September 19th, 2026 from 11AM to 4PM!

An old-fashioned agricultural fair, highlighting many aspects of the harvest season in the Colonial Hudson River Valley. Visitors will enjoy live music, Haudenosaunee Storytelling and presentations, demonstrations, heritage breed animals, hands-on activities and much more.

Crailo will be open for self-guided tours. Big Bellies Food truck will be available all day.

This event is free and open to the public! Rain or shine.

What better time to visit Crailo than on the (unofficial) last weekend of the summer?! On Saturday, 9/5, Sunday, 9/6 and...
09/02/2026

What better time to visit Crailo than on the (unofficial) last weekend of the summer?! On Saturday, 9/5, Sunday, 9/6 and Monday, 9/7, guided tours will be offered to the public at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. only. Don't miss out before school starts and vacation ends! To reserve your spot, please call the site at (518) 463-8738.

Now, never fear - we will still be open through September and October (last day is 10/31), but no time like the present to visit the museum!

Today is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. The 17th century saw the beginn...
08/23/2026

Today is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

The 17th century saw the beginnings of institutionalized slavery in New York. The first 22 enslaved laborers arrived in New Netherland in 1627. The colony became increasingly dependent on the labor of enslaved workers over the following decades, and by the time the English took over the colony in 1664 and renamed it New York, enslaved Africans were being imported there by the hundreds. The practice of slavery in New York continued through English rule, the American Revolution, and half a century into the existence of the United States, before being abolished in 1827.

🖼 “Nieu Amsterdam,” unidentified artist (Dutch, mid-17th century), New York Public Library


Address

9 1/2 Riverside Avenue
Rensselaer, NY
12144

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+15184638738

Website

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