Jan and Annetje Mabee purchased this land in 1705 and quickly began building a permanent home. The original structure, now the back portion of the main stone house, was a simple one-and-a-half-storied single room with a garrett and jambless fireplace. These features, consistent with Dutch colonial architecture, reflected the family's European heritage. The first major change came during the tenure of Jan's daughter-in-law, Catrina, when the 1761 renovation created a two-room home with a second jambless fireplace, a full cellar, and an enlarged garrett. The new interior provided extra living space for a growing family and indicated the increasing prosperity of the farm. The original home housed Jan, Annetje, and eight of their ten children, though farm life was busy and laborious and left little time to spend indoors.
