Peace following the French and Indian War from 1756 to 1763 provided security on the frontier, and in 1764 Nicholas Herkimer built this Georgian style mansion. The house remained in the Herkimer family until 1814, then passed through a succession of owners who considerably altered it inside and out. When the State of New York bought the property in 1913, the mansion was in very poor condition, and the first restoration work began in 1914 and 1915. In the 1960s, efforts to return the structure to its 18th-century style produced its present-day appearance. A British officer described the property as pleasantly situated on rising ground above a beautiful farm extending across fine flat land to the river.