Stencil House

Rare, nineteenth-century painted stencils cover the board walls of the entrance hall, parlor, and dining room in Stencil House. In each room is a mix of high-style and vernacular painted furniture, decorative arts, and metalwork.

Stencil House was built around 1804 on a farm in Columbus, New York, and is typical of the small, side-gabled houses often found in New York and New England. Four rooms downstairs surround a central chimney, and the front door is flanked by pairs of double-hung windows. The stencils were probably painted between 1820 and 1830.

When the Museum acquired the house in 1953, tears in the wallpaper revealed the painted walls underneath. The extent of the stenciling—rare among existing houses of the period—was not revealed until the house was moved.

Tour the Stencil House

Please note: Stencil House is only accessible as part of a guided tour.