An excellent example of Federal-style
architecture, Rose Hill mansion was built by John P. Veeder in 1842.
Located on Western Avenue west of Guilderland Elementary School, Rose
Hill's exterior has a tin hip roof with a wooden balustrade, three
chimneys and a front porch with latticework. The interior includes
French doors and large multi-paned windows, which provide lightness
and warmth to the home. The house currently has four fireplaces. A
large grassy mound on the left of the house is most likely a berm,
a mound built as a windbreak and not an Indian burial site, as has
been suggested.
Rose Hill has had just four owners in
its existence, which probably accounts for its well-preserved state.
Abraham Degraff, son-in-law of John Veeder, owned the mansion from
1880 until the turn of the century at which time it was rented to
tenants. In 1945 Dr. Miller Lee, a physician in general practice,
bought the property. Then for the first time the house had water,
electricity and plumbing facilities. The present owners have kept
the house in pristine condition.
The
architecture of Rose hill is much the same as when it was first built.
Note that the trees in this photograph are not as tall as in the 2002
photograph. Picture courtesy of Guilderland Historical Society.
