SCHAEFFER HOUSE

Inscription

SCHAEFFER HOUSE
SPARED FROM BURNING BY CHIEF
BRANT'S LOYALIST ARMY DURING
REV. WAR. AN ENSLAVED WOMAN
INTERVENED AND BRIBED THE
TROOPS WITH DUTCH PIES.
NEW YORK FOLKLORE
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2026

The Schaeffer Farm—known locally as “The Rocks”—is said to be one of the original German Palatine homesteads in the Schoharie Valley. Its story begins around 1711, when German immigrant Hendrick Schaeffer settled on the land and established the home that would remain in his family for generations.

During the Revolutionary War, the valley came under attack when the Loyalist Army, led by Sir John Johnson and Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant, swept through the region. In 1777, most of the wooden homes and structures in the valley were burned. Yet the Schaeffer house survived.

Christian Schaeffer, Hendrick’s son, was disabled and refused to flee with the other settlers to the Lower Fort. When Loyalist troops entered the house, legend says they intended to ransack and burn it. At that moment, an enslaved woman intervened. It is said that she offered the soldiers tables filled with “all the good Palatine Dutch Pies and pastries they could eat.” She also declared loyalty to the Crown in an effort to protect Christian and the home. Her actions persuaded the troops to spare the house, and it still stands today.

The structure itself is notable for its craftsmanship, built with curved oak braces and hand‑carved split slats that eliminated the need for nails. In later years, the building served as a garage and horse stable, and Schaeffer descendants continued to live on the farm as late as 1960.