Johnson Hall State Historic Site was the home of Sir William Johnson, an Irish pioneer who became the influential British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Province of New York, known for his strong relationship especially with the Mohawk and other Iroquois League nations. It was used as a private residence by various owners until 1906, when the state bought it for preservation. The historic site includes more than 18 acres of land. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
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The house was built seven miles from the Mohawk River, close to Hall Creek. Hall Creek provided water sufficient to power a sawmill and later a grist mill. Built of wood, the house frame was covered with wood planks intended to simulate stone. Johnson engaged leading colonial architect Peter Harrison to design the house; he hired the carpenter, Samuel Fuller, to build it. Johnson moved here from Old Fort Johnson in 1763 and lived here until he died in 1774.
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EST. 1763
Sir William Johnson built Johnson Hall in 1763 as the center of a grand estate. He was made a British baronet for his role in the French & Indian Wars, a title his son, John, inherited upon his death in 1774. By December 1775, rebel unrest led John Johnson to stockade his house with swivel guns and artillery. The new Continental Congress ordered General Philip Schuyler to take the arms of any Loyalists in Tryon County and to "apprehend their chief."
On January 18, 1776, Schuyler and Colonel Herkimer led 3,000 troops and militia to Johnstown where they disarmed Johnson and a Loyalist force of about 400 men. The Tryon County Committee of Safety eventually ordered Sir John's arrest. Warned by friends, he fled to Canada in May with a large group of Loyalists. His pregnant wife and young son were imprisoned in Albany, escaping in the middle of the winter. Johnson returned to the region several times leading British military raids. The Third New Jersey Regiment took possession of Johnson Hall in 1776. Eventually all of the Johnson estates were sold at auction, generating ₤3,576 for New York State, about $894,000 in 2008 dollars.
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