Pruyn House

What a lovely venue! Went on Irish night– perfect weather, great band, corned beef sandwiches, also wine& ice cream & strawberry shortcake for sale, or bring a picnic for your blanket or chairs. There’s a $ 5.00 donation to sit on the lawn & another charge to sit in the barn with the band. However, the speakers were excellent and sound was great. Restrooms were clean and sufficient in number. Parking was easy and police were friendly. A definite addition to my Summer Bucket List.

Cute little historic complex, which I’ll describe in detail below, that pays its way for the Town of Colonie as a reception hall specializing in weddings. I can’t comment on the weddings but it looks like a very good value for a small wedding and a charming, spacious setting.
The historic complex has three main «attractions». The first is the Pruyn House itself, an odd combination of a federal brick and greek revival mansion, built in the first third of the 19^th century for Casparus Pruyn and family. Pruyn was the agent/​collector for Stephen van Rensselaer III, the last Patroon of Rensselaerswyck, the feudal remnant of the Dutch empire in the US that lasted in its odd legal form until the middle of the 19^th century. It is not the main site of business, but it does speak a bit to the social history around the Patroonship system. There are interpretive placards in each room, including one on the Anti-​Rent Wars that broke up the Patroon system finally. Most of the rooms have period furnishings in them, although not a full restoration, and as such it’s a nice illustration of 19^th century elite living but not exactly a full recreation. The upper floors have rooms that double as offices for the curators, so there are also modernized touches around. Even so, it’s a moderately interesting look. There’s not a lot of interpretation but enough to figure things out.
Outside the main house is a lovely flower garden, and two more buildings. One is the Buhrmaster Barn, an early 19^th century barn that was moved from a position close to the Mohawk River, and the old Verdoy school, which was moved from its location near Route 7 in 1995. The barn is used for receptions and programs, and has some very interesting intact woodwork but is, well, you know, a barn used for wedding receptions. It’s nicer than a real barn but not as interesting.
The Verdoy school house, though, is one of the best intact one-​room school houses in the area, and they have a few desks and some props (I can’t call them artifacts) left out, which I am guessing are used for school groups to come in, with some modern seating. It’s worth a peek inside — the kids enjoyed playing school for a few minutes — but it’s not a complete re-​creation either.
It’s all free (donations accepted) and despite the relative lack of interpretation it should be of interest to those interested in local history, old houses, or just a pleasant walk around some grounds. There are picnic tables and a big open space in the rear, and I don’t know if they care if you come and use it as a picnic spot, but I would recommend it as such if you’re looking for one in the area and want to spice up your stop with a little history.

Beautiful setting for a rustic wedding without being in the middle of nowhere!
They are so easy to work with, very affordable and accommodating.
The gardens, barns and historic home on the property are amazing.
The barn is perfect for weddings around 100 people or less.
We are having ours there in May!