| Jan Van Loon House | |
| Image Alt: | Jan Van Loon House |
| Map Type: | New York#USA |
| Map Alt: | Albertus Van Loon House, Athens, NY |
| Building Type: | residential home |
| Address: | 39 South Washington Street |
| Location City: | Athens, New York |
| Location Country: | USA |
| Coordinates: | 42.2573°N -73.8118°W |
| Namesake: | Jan Van Loon |
| Completion Date: | 1706[1] |
| Destruction Date: | --> |
| Material: | brick |
| Elevator Count: | 0 |
| Unit Count: | --> |
The Jan Van Loon House (like van loan) is one of the oldest extant buildings in New York State. It is located in Athens, New York at 39 South Washington Street (also known as New York State Route 385). It is inside the Village of Athens Multiple Resource Area (MRA) and the Athens Lower Village Historic District.[2] It was built by Jan Van Loon, who fathered eight children including Albertus Van Loon.[3] Van Loon was a blacksmith by trade, but was also known to work in silver.[4]
Van Loon was the earliest European settler to the area, purchasing the land in 1685.[2] In 1688 he then gave the settlement its first name, Loonenburg. Only one wall of the original 1706 structure remains unchanged in the house.[2] [5]
Jan's grandchild, John M. Van Loon, sold the family lands on 30 April 1800 to Isaac Northrup, who then developed them into a more complete village.[2]
In 1932, the New York State Education Department placed a historic marker outside the house:
. Cutter. William Richard . William Richard Cutter . Reynolds. Cuyler. Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation ... 1913. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 9780806346755. 1112. https://books.google.com/books?id=G7eN4c4vkkgC&dq=Jan+Van+Loon+House+1706&pg=PA1112. 8 March 2018. English. PDF. 14. 3. 423822035. Jan built house in the lower part of what is now village of Athens a short distance north Black Rock on ground later occupied as shipyard by Matthias Van Loon A from the original house bearing the 1706 JVL gives the name of builder and the date of erection..