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The Armour-Stiner Octagon House 45 West Clinton Avenue Irvington, NY 10533

The Armour-Stiner Octagon House 45 West Clinton Avenue Irvington, NY 10533

The Armour-Stiner Octagon House

45 West Clinton Avenue

Irvington, NY 10533

(914) 817-5763

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armour%E2%80%93Stiner_House

Hours: Sunday-Saturday Seasonal please check their website

Admission: Depends on the Tour/Times of the year-Please check the website

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47953-d15523741-Reviews-The_Armour_stiner_Octagon_House-Irvington_New_York.html

The outside of the house during the Christmas holidays

The outside of the house decorated for Christmas

The tour of the Amour-Stiner Octagon House was so amazing. The house was decorated to the hilt for the Christmas holidays but done tastefully and not over the top. All the decorations enhanced the house and its beauty.

The other side of the porch decorated for Christmas

History of the House:

(From the Visit Westchester County blog):

The Armour-Stiner Octagon House is one of the most visually unique homes in the world. It is the only known residence constructed in the eight-sided, domed colonnaded shape of a classic Roman temple. The Octagon House was originally built in the 1860s following the precepts of Orson Squire Fowler, a phrenologist, sexologist, amateur architect and author of The Octagon House, a Home for All. Fowler advocated octagonal instead of rectangular houses on the supposition that the shape enclosed more space, created rooms which received more sunlight and had greater accessibility to each other (Visit Westchester blog).

The statuary in the yard

The carriage and greenhouse on the yard

The family currently live in the Carriage House and use the Greenhouse so these were not in the tour.

The Gazebo in the front yard

The Birdhouse that looks like the house

The formal gardens that are dormant this time of year

The grounds will be amazing when the Spring comes and everything is in bloom.

The porch was so beautifully decorated for the holidays

The railing for the porch

The insignia of the porch

The front door so beautifully decorated for the holidays

The planter decorations around the porch

The decorations around the porch were really whimsical

History of the House:

(From the Visiting Westchester blog)

In 1872, the house was purchased by Joseph Stiner, a prominent New York City tea merchant. His alterations created the present lyrical structure. The exterior embellishments are extraordinarily festive with floral detailing in the cast iron cresting and railings and elaborately carved wood scrollwork and capitals – all painted in shades of rose, blue, violet and red. The interiors are equally decorative with painted and stenciled ceilings, trim with gold, silver and bronze leaf and unique eight-sided motifs in the plasterwork, woodwork and etched glass (Visiting Westchester blog).

Walking into the entrance foyer to see the Table Tree of the early German period

Each floor was decorated with lights, garland and a series of large and small Christmas trees. The ornaments were all of the period included glass ball, homemade paper ornaments and some flowers and other plantings.

The staircase in the main foyer was decked out either garland and lights

The Arbotorium in one side of the hallway

Normally even in Victorian times a house would not be this decorated but the volunteers did a wonderful job accenting each room.

The small office to the other side of the main foyer

The beautiful details of the office on the first floor

We then moved into the formal parlor where the family would have entertained everyone before dinner. The room was decorated with a beautiful tree and garlands.

The hand chandelier in the study

The formal Parlor

The Christmas tree in the formal parlor

The formal table decorations of the Parlor

The elaborate decorations on the side table

The picture of the original house when it was completed

The house when Mr. Stiner bought it and added the dome

We next moved into the formal Dining Room that was set for Christmas lunch. The Victorians followed a lot of the English traditions of multi-courses and Christmas poppers at the table.

The Dining Room set for Christmas luncheon

The table beautifully set for the holidays

The sideboards decorated and stocked for the holidays

The service silverware ready for use for the Christmas meal

We then moved onto the kitchen where the feast would be prepared

The working stove from the original house

The sink and toilet prep areas

The side board with the coffee grinder

The Kitchen area with cookbook and desserts

We then left the more public areas of the house to the family’s living quarters. This was the experience extreme and not the exception in Victorian times to have this much room.

The second floor Reception Room where the family would have gathered for more casual events

The Second Floor Reception Room

The ceiling is the only original part of the house left intact by each owner. It has been cleaned and restored to its original beauty.

The room beautifully decorated for the holidays

The Egyptian Room which was once a wellness

One of the upstairs bedrooms ready for guests

The Curio Room was a place where Victorians showed off their collections from their travels. These small items were displayed to show off the places they had been and some of the collections they were forming along the way.

The Table tree in the Curio room

All the interesting collections in the Curio Room

Even the small tree is covered with antique ornaments and old Christmas cards

The third floor landing

The Table tree in the landing

The antique train set

The Christmas tree on the third floor

Above is on the third floor, we could peek upstairs and see the bottom of the dome that had been added by Mr. Stiner. The was interesting. We made our way back downstairs to finish the tour and wrap up our discussion.

The Gift Shop

As you exit the house, there is an interesting Gift shop stocked with ornaments, toiletries, stationary and other gift items. This is where we concluded our tour.

The house and grounds were lit when we left and everything was so nicely decorated for the holidays.

The house fully lit at twilight

The Carriage House and grounds at twilight

The house at closing time was picturesque

Touring the Amour- Stiner Octagon House is a step back in time to when society was slower and life a bit more gentle. you relished life and slowed down to enjoy it.

The Irvington Historical Society presentation on the Armour-Stiner Octagon House

Irvington Historical Society 131 Main Street Irvington, NY 10533

Irvington Historical Society 131 Main Street Irvington, NY 10533

Irvington Historical Society

131 Main Street

Irvington, NY 10533

(914) 591-1020

https://www.instagram.com/irvingtonhistoricalsociety/

https://www.facebook.com/IrvingtonHistoricalSociety/

Irvington Historical Society

Open: Sunday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday 1:00pm-4:00pm/Friday Closed/Saturday 1:00pm-4:00pm

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47953-d32814098-Reviews-Irvington_Historical_Society-Irvington_New_York.html

The Irvington Historical Society at 131 Main Street

The Society building in the Fall

The Mission Statement of the Irvington Historical Society:

(From the Society website)

The Irvington Historical Society was founded in 1972 as a direct result of renewed interest in the history of our village during the Irvington Centennial Celebration. The mission of the society is to discover, collect, organize, preserve and make accessible all variety of material which serves to illustrate and explain the history of the village and its people. Through lectures, programs, publications, and exhibits, we attempt to share that history with residents and friends. The Society is also dedicated to the preservation of the historical, architectural, and cultural heritage of the Village.

The ‘Collections’ exhibition on residents of Irvington, NY personal collections shown at the museum

The museum decorated for the holidays

The History of the Museum’s McVickar House headquarters:

(from the Society website)

The McVickar House, a Greek Revival frame house, stands on land that was originally part of the farm of William Dutcher.  In 1812, Justus Dearman, a New York City merchant, purchased the southern half of the Dutcher farm, 144 acres extending eastward from the Hudson River.  In 1849, Dearman sold his property to Gustavis Sacchi for $26,000.  Sacchi immediately resold the property to Franklin C. Field, a partner in the firm Jay and Field in New York City. Field had the property sub-divided into individual building lots establishing the village of Dearman.  On April 25, 1850, these lots were publicly auctioned at the Merchant’s Exchange in New York City. 

The museum decorated for the holidays

(From the Society website)

Building Lot #246, along with several others, was ultimately sold to the Rev. John McVickar.  McVickar was born in New York City on August 10, 1787, into a wealthy merchant family.  He was considered a brilliant student, graduating from King’s College (now Columbia) at the age of 17 in 1804. 

In 1811, he took orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church and became a dynamic leader in the Episcopal Diocese of New York for over fifty years.  He married Eliza Bard in 1809, and they had nine children, only three of whom survived McVickar’s death in 1868.

In 1817, McVickar was appointed professor of moral philosophy, rhetoric and belles-lettres at Columbia.  He was superintendent of the Society for Promoting Religion and Learning in New York, served twice as acting president of Columbia, authored several books, and served as chaplain to the United States forces at Fort Columbus, Governor’s Island from 1844 to 1862.  McVickar moved to Irvington in 1852 becoming a neighbor to his good friend Washington Irving.

Two of the lots McVickar purchased, along with several lots donated by McVickar’s cousin, John Jay, were to serve as the site of a chapel school, later to become St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.  McVickar’s son, William Augustus McVickar, was appointed Missionary to Dearman in August of 1852, and on the August 17, 1852, the cornerstone was laid for the chapel school. 

The Church of St. Barnabas was incorporated in 1858, and Reverend William A. McVickar served as the Rector of the Church until 1867.  In 1870, William A. McVickar, who had inherited Building Lot #246 after the death of his father, sold the property to John Dinkel, a local merchant.

Dinkel was a grocer who in the 1870’s had a store on the corner of Main Street and Broadway.  Dinkel sold the McVickar property in 1872 to Patrick Cannon whose daughter Mary later owned the property.  Mary married Chester R. Doremus who owned Doremus Carriage Factory located next door to the McVickar house.  In 1935, Mary sold the McVickar House property to John Fallon who in turn sold the property to Con Edison in 1957 so that they could build a small substation behind the house.  The house was rented until 1992, but after the last tenant moved out, it fell into disrepair. 

In 2002, the Village of Irvington acquired the property for the home of the Irvington Historical Society.  A major fundraising effort was undertaken by the Society to support the renovation and restoration project.  The Irvington History Center at the McVickar House opened in November 2005, and the McVickar House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The main gallery of the Irvington Historical Society . The ‘Collections ‘ exhibition is to the front and the small permanent collection is towards the back.

The “Collections” exhibition was very interesting exhibition. Each display is unique to each of the residents who donated their collections for the exhibition. There was sets of china, artwork from the Hudson River Valley, items like duck decoys, a collection of hats, a collection of minerals and a selection of books. There was even a collection of Star Wars items. It was a nice exhibition of unique items. The exhibition will be rotating with other collections.

The collection of Hudson River art by a local resident gives a glimpse of the romantic side of the Hudson River Valley before development

A collection of English Staffordshire China

A collection of Duck Decoys

The Duck Decoys are from all eras

One resident’s Hat Collection which represents many different eras of style and change of function

One resident’s collection of Minerals and Stones

One resident’s collection of Anchor paperback covers

An extensive collection of ‘StarWars’ memorabilia

A collection of area Maps

A collection of the works of Black Women Writers

The back part of the Gallery holds the Permanent collection of artifacts on display. This is a road map of the development and the colonialization of Irvington. It has from its place as home to the Lenape Indians to the Dutch trade settlements and then the prominent residents who have lived in the area. It is a fascinating look at the community and how it is evolving.

The Permanent Collection of the Irving Historical Society

The latest exhibition that I visited was on The Irvington Gazette, their local paper.

The museum is always so beautiful during the Christmas holidays

When I returned to the museum in December of 2025, the new exhibition that was on display was the history of The Irvington Gazette Gazette, the local paper. It is a testimony to the power of local news. This is the importance of local newspapers.

The Irving Gazette exhibition

The exhibition up close

The first issue of The Irvington Gazette in color

The collection of different stories

The collections of stories

The collection of stories

The story of the Town of Irvington, NY:

(from the Society website)

I took these pictures of the Irvington when I visited around both Halloween and Christmas. People in the downtown area love to decorate for the holidays.

The Town of Irvington, NY during the Christmas holiday season

The beautiful decorations of the residents of the Downtown in Irvington, NY

Downtown Irvington NY during Christmas

The houses decorated for the Christmas holidays

The declarations downtown in 2025

The Village of Irvington, resting on the Eastern Shore of the Hudson River twenty-two miles north of New York City, has a rich history. Originally the home of the Wecquaesgeek, an Indigenous people of the Wappinger Tribes, it later became farmland during periods of Dutch and English control. Irvington and its local residents played a critical role in the Revolutionary War as part of the Neutral Grounds between English and Colonial forces.

The beauty of Downtown Irvington, NY during the Fall

The decorations for the Halloween holidays

The arrival of the Hudson River Rail Road in 1847 led to the founding of the Village, the breakup of the traditional tenant farms, and a growing population. Because of its physical beauty and proximity to New York City, Irvington became a favored place for country estates in the latter half of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century. As those estates began to be sold off for development before World War II, Irvington evolved into the scenic, beautiful, and vibrant residential community it remains today.

Downtown Irvington, NY in the Fall looking over the Hudson River

Downtown Irvington, NY during Halloween

Halloween decorations in Downtown Irvington, NY

The paper’s first color print for Christmas

Irvington, NY is a beautiful

Place to visit during both the Halloween and Christmas holidays. The town and its residents know how to decorate for the holidays.

Downtown Irvington at Christmas

City Hall decked for the holidays

Toy soldiers wink and smile all through the holidays

Downtown Irvington decked out for Christmas

Salem Fire Museum 166 East Broadway Salem, NJ 08079

Salem Fire Museum 166 East Broadway Salem, NJ 08079

Salem Fire Museum

166 East Broadway

Salem, NJ 08079

(856) 935-0354

https://www.facebook.com/SalemFireMuseum/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46799-d32732888-r984946763-Salem_Fire_Museum-Salem_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Salem Fire Museum at Christmas time

(From the Salem Fire Museum Facebook page):

Union Steam Engine Company first formed in 1749 and operated from a modest firehouse at the corner of Market Street and Broadway. That site is currently occupied by the Old Court House. The Salem Fire Museum is in the fire company’s second fire station, built in 1869, and served actively until 1992 when the Union Steam Engine Company No. 1 moved into a commodious engine house on Walnut Street.

The outside of the museum decorated for Christmas

The firehouse right by the old Boro hall

The front of the firehouse was altered in the early 1930’s to accommodate the 1935 Ahrens Fox pumper, which would not fit in the narrow arched truck door. In the mid-1970’s, a concrete foundation was poured to hold the weight of the 1978 Mack pumper. Size of modern fire apparatus was the motivating factor that drove the fire company out of this firehouse in 1992. The dignified old fire station sat vacant until 2002 when a group of volunteers began the restoration efforts. They were met with a staunch task of crumbling walls, no heat, no electric, no water, and very little money.

Since the project started, the volunteers have restored the front façade to its’ original 3-arched-door configuration, replaced the frieze, installed HVAC, replaced the electric and water service, and collected, organized, and displayed artifacts from over 200 years of fire service in Salem City and surrounding communities. You can view items like the 1847 John Agnew Columbian Hand Pumper, the ornate boiler exhaust from the 1878 Silsby Steamer, old helmets, uniforms, speaking trumpets, nozzles and the like.

The pumper at the museum

The side view of the pumper on the first floor

The antique equipment on the first floor of the museum

The first floor of the firehouse decorated for Christmas

The ‘irons’ at the fire house

The old and new SCBA equipment

People visiting the museum during the parade

The fire place going on a cold morning during the parade

Safety equipment for rescue at the museum

Equipment used on the fire truck

A full view of the firehouse museum first floor

The firehouse Christmas tree

A full view of the first floor of the museum decorated for Christmas

The firehouse door decorated with helmets

The second floor of the museum was set up for the office and operation base of the fire department. The displays are set up with fire operations in mind as well as where the fire fighters were living when on duty for their shifts.

The second floor of the museum

Fire department ‘Class A’ and fire department clothing

Fire department awards and memorabilia

Fire department artifacts

More fire department artifacts

The years of Chief’s hats

Years of emergency communication equipment

The operation desk at the firehouse

Desk operations and Chief’s horn

View from the second floor of the fire house

The second floor set up for a party for the firefighters and their families

The illumination equipment on the first floor

The full first floor of the museum

The Salem Fire Museum gives an interesting look of life in the fire service both at the turn of The last century and today. I just wish it were open more often for the public to see.

Alloway Township History Museum 49 Greenwich Street (Room 216) Alloway, NJ. 08001

Alloway Township History Museum 49 Greenwich Street (Room 216) Alloway, NJ. 08001

Alloway Township History Museum

49 Greenwich Street (Room 216)

Alloway, NJ 08001

(856) 981-9388

Museum / History Room
Open: Sunday-Friday Closed/Saturday 9:00am-12:00pm (Last Saturday of the Month)

Admission: Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g29741-d32722951-r984660264-Alloway_Township_History_Museum-Alloway_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The front of the museum building. The museum is located on the second floor

History of Alloway Township History Museum:

(from the museum website)

Dating back to our origins in 1767, Alloway Township is rich in history and heritage. Ocean going vessels were built in our shipyards. The Wistarburg Glassworks’ was the first successful glassworks of the early colonies. Patterned brick houses can still be spotted around town.

Our museum is filled with a collection of interesting artifacts from our past including: class plaques, the original bell from Alloway High School, early glass, a miniature recreation of the area back in the 1700’s Lenni Lenape Indian Arrowheads and much more. Everything in the museum has been donated by visitors also interested in preserving Alloways history. Our latest project is recreating an early classroom including a collection of historic school desks.

The Alloway Township Senior Building at 49 South Greenwich Street

The history of the Alloway Municipal Building

The town Christmas tree in the front yard

Our Mission:

(from the museum website)

The Alloway Township History Museum’s mission is to preserve the history and memories of Alloway, NJ. What is now Alloway was originally inhabited by Lenni Lenape Native Americans and its name is thought to be derived from Allowas, a local Lenni Lenape Chief. Located in Salem County, NJ, Alloway Township was formally incorporated as Upper Alloways Creek Township by a Royal Charter granted on June 1767.

The public is invited to come in and enjoy or collections, share your stories, photos, objects and ephemera to help maintain the history of Alloway. We welcome researchers and provide them with any available material.

The main gallery of the museum

The main gallery of the museum

When you enter the museum, it showcases the rich history of this small community. Each of the show cases tell the story of the small New Jersey community.

As you enter the museum, the displays describe the rich history of the building

The local businesses of the town are emphized

The museum displays many aspects from the community from its Native American past to its prominence in ship building, farming and agriculture and then localized manufacturing and glassworks.

Some of the businesses noted in the community

The Train display and the advent of changes this community saw with the rail system in New Jersey

The Train display

The museum displays lots of interesting artifacts from the community past from Military items to school related artifacts

The contributions of the communities Military past. The case offers so many interesting items to see

The local glass works display with glass and dish ware items

Glass works items

The Military drum

The interesting collection of toys that the museum displays

Tools and equipment from the communities agrarian past where farming made up a big part of the economy

The museum has an extensive collection of buttons, pins, pens and other artifacts from local business and community functions

The Glass works and dish ware display at the museum

The museum has an extensive collection of the first residents of Alloway which is the Native American Lenape tribe who farming and ship building set the tone for the first community. They trained those who came after them and built a system of trading and business.

The display case of Native American artifacts

The Native American past of the Lenape Indians

A closer look at the artifacts of local tribes

A closer look at the artifact

The Educational and Town display

An old bell surrounded by town artifacts

Artifacts from around the town

ld lard containers manufactured in town

Painted rocks in the museum

Office equipment and old signs from the town buildings

Funeral dress from the past

An old smock from a local company

Military items that were donated to the museum

Glass works and other artifacts

The other room of the museum across the hall was geared to education and the classroom with artifacts used in schools over the last 100 years. It shows the progression of the school system in Alloway, NJ and for the rest of the State of New Jersey from an agricultural community to a cosmopolitan community.

The history of the building over the years was on displa

The sign of the schools of the area

The class room set up with desks used in schools from the past

The classroom display with lessons from the past and present

Examples of desks used in the classroom over the years

Lunch boxes from the 1970’s

Pictures of the classroom over the years

A map of the region from the past

After the museum, I explored around Alloway and you realize what a small community it is. Most of the businesses in the small downtown have been shuttered but you can see have lots of potential. Alloway, NJ is such a pretty community and so beautifully decorated for the holidays, both Halloween and Christmas.

The old General Store that closed in the 1990’s

What looked like an old hotel in the area

The sign for the old Alloway Tavern

The old Alloway Tavern

The make up of Downtown Alloway, NJ

Homes decorated for Christmas in Downtown Alloway

A house the was on the Salem Christmas walking tour

There is a lot of potential for cottage industries in this small town for restaurants and retail. The are such unique buildings dotting this small farming town rich in history. I saw this when touring the town the after visiting the museum.

House decorated for Halloween

House decorated for Halloween in Alloway, NJ