The Legacy of Roxbury Barn & Estate
Our History
As morning dawns on our hills and carriage barn, the mist gently rises over the Catskill Mountains. If these walls could talk, they’d share stories that span centuries—from Indigenous footsteps to steamboat captains, from wartime heroes to Hollywood stars.
The Early Days
Our estate’s most tangible history dates back over 175 years. However, long before the estate took shape, long before Dutch settlers traveled up the Hudson River to what is now known as the Catskills and the town of Roxbury, this land whispered with the movements of the Lenape people. For over 10,000 years, Indigenous communities, including the Mohicans and the Iroquois Confederacy, made these rolling hills their home.
The small town of Roxbury was established in 1799 and reached its peak population in 1845, with 3,121 residents. Butter was the town’s main product back then, and Roxbury Butter became the talk of markets far and wide. It was during this bustling time that the carriage barn—which still stands proudly today—first took shape on what would eventually become the Roxbury Barn & Estate.
1825: Mr. Patterson builds a house
Its story truly begins with a modest house built in 1825 by a man named Patterson at the intersection of Stratton Falls Road and Scott Green Road. His son William Patterson, a skilled wagon maker, would later serve in the Civil War with the 144th Infantry Regiment of New York Volunteers. This service led to a fateful friendship with Brigadier General Charles Suter—a connection that would ultimately change the course of the estate’s history.
1870s: The return of Captain Patterson
After the Civil War, as the years flowed by like a mighty river, William—now known as Captain Patterson—found prosperity as a Mississippi steamboat captain. With newfound wealth flowing into his pockets and a beautiful Baltimore bride named Leonora on his arm, the Captain returned to his hometown in the Catskills with grand visions. He sold the house his father had once built to his dear friend Charles Suter and acquired the adjacent land to build what would become known as The Captain’s House—a stately residence that commanded attention in front of the three-story bank barn.
“Come see what I’ve built for us, my dear,” you can almost hear the Captain saying to Leonora as he proudly showed her their new home in the 1870s, the afternoon sun catching on the wrap-around porch of their new summer residence.
After the Captain’s passing in 1896, Leonora remained, becoming a beloved figure in Roxbury until her seventies, when the pull of her Baltimore roots called her home.
1920s: Cauliflowers
The estate then passed to Laura and Orson Van Benschoten, members of the prominent family that had founded nearby New Kingston. Under their watchful eye, the estate’s rocky soil sprouted endless rows of cauliflowers—the Van Benschoten family’s claim to agricultural fame.
In the early 1930s, with Orson getting too old for the hard labor, Laura unfurled her dreams from the weathered farmland, selling the acres that once held their shared hopes and embracing a new chapter as a teacher at rural schoolhouses.
1930s: The Dentist & The Barn
This ushered in the era of George and Nell Hafner, a New York City couple who transformed the Captain’s House into their summer sanctuary.
George, a dentist by profession, made headlines in the Catskills Mountain News when a car fire in the barn required a quick response from the local fire department. One can picture the commotion—George running with buckets of water, the fire engine clanging as it rushed to save the historic structure.
1940s: Cluck Cluck
The barn itself has lived many lives. In the early 1940s, it transformed from a carriage house to a chicken coop, with twenty-five windows added to bathe the feathered residents in natural light. “The eggs from Roxbury are the freshest in the city!” vendors might have proclaimed in New York marketplaces—until World War II gas rationing made shipping the eggs prohibitively expensive. The chickens departed, but their windows remained, forever changing the barn’s façade.
1959: The Inheritance
When the Hafners passed away in the 1950s, their daughter Winifred inherited the estate. A Columbia University-educated debutante married to Earl Schreiber, Winifred brought new energy to the property. Her husband Earl, who had become Rear Admiral Schreiber, carried with him the weight of heroism—having directed the rescue of 125 sailors from the ill-fated USS Princeton during World War II.
“The New Captain’s house,” locals would whisper with respect as they passed by after the Schreibers moved in permanently in 1959. Winifred became the heartbeat of the Roxbury community, while the Admiral shared his knowledge at Roxbury Central School. Their presence lasted until Winifred’s passing in 1983, after which the Admiral lived a more secluded life until his death in 1996, departing with full military honors befitting his Bronze Star.
1999: The Glamorous Barn
Then came Hollywood’s touch. In the summer of 1999, the estate transformed yet again—this time into a film set for “You Can Count on Me,” starring Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo. The Captain’s House became a star in its own right, and Linney later told Joan Rivers on the Oscar red carpet that her dressing room had been—of all things—a barn!
2000s: Perfect Grounds
It was as if fate had been saving the estate for its most perfect match when filmmaker Roger Ross Williams fell in love with the property after the film crew departed. Roger, the first African American film director to win an Academy Award, and his husband Casper, both saw the potential for celebration in every corner of the estate. Years of thoughtful refinement followed, and the couple opened their hearts and their barn doors to welcome guests to what has become the gold standard for Catskills celebrations.
2025: Reflections of time
Today, the bank barn—aptly named for its clever construction into the side of a cliff—continues to serve dual purposes. Its upper level hosts elegant after-dinner gatherings while the ground floor buzzes with staff preparations.
As the sun sets behind the Catskill Mountains, casting long shadows across the grounds and its structures, old and new, one can’t help but feel the presence of all those who came before—the Lenape, Captain Patterson and Leonora, the Van Benschotens, the dentist and his wife, Winifred and her Rear Admiral, and all who have since danced, dined, and created memories on this lush mountainside.
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