History
The 277-acre (112 ha) farm was originally owned by the Tory Frederick DeVeaux (sometimes spelled "Davoue"), but was confiscated after the war. 320 acres (130 ha) including the farm were presented to Paine in 1784 by act of the New York State Legislature for his service. The stone house occupied by Davoue was destroyed by fire in 1793 and replaced with the cottage while Paine was in Europe.
The Huguenot Association acquired the house from Charles See, who wanted to subdivide the property for real estate development. It was moved approximately 440 yards (400 m) west to its current location at 20 Sicard Avenue in 1908. This is the last extant portion of the farm owned by Paine.
Read more about this topic: Thomas Paine Cottage
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