Together, we can preserve and restore this historic site.

The Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2019 to raise funds for the restoration of the Odell House at 425 Ridge Road, Hartsdale, NY. Built in four stages (1732, 1760, 1785 and 1855) the house is historically important for several reasons.

During the Revolutionary War the French general, le Comte de Rochambeau, stayed in the house for six weeks in the summer of 1781, surrounded by his army of 5,000 men, while General George Washington and the Continental Army camped nearby in Ardsley. The French had become our allies during the war and the two generals spent weeks traveling through Westchester and the Bronx to acquire intelligence about British Army and Navy strength in British-occupied New York City.

Washington felt that defeating the British in New York City would win the war. But during the six-week encampment news came from French Admiral de Grasse that his fleet would not sail as far north as New York but could meet them in Virginia. So, Washington and Rochambeau made the crucial decision to march their combined forces to Yorktown, Virginia where they defeated British general Lord Cornwallis. This victory led directly to the peace negotiations that ended the war two years later.

After the war the house and surrounding farm were purchased by Colonel John Odell, who was among the first men to volunteer for the Westchester Militia in 1776. At the time he was 19 years old. During the war he served as a private in the local militia, a lieutenant in the Mohawk Valley, and as a Westchester Guide, one of an elite group of local men who acted as scouts, pathfinders and advisors for the Continental Army. Odell’s skill and perseverance earned him a well-deserved reputation that brought him to the attention of General Washington. Odell served as a scout for Washington during the French-American encampment in Greenburgh.

Generations of the Odell family lived in the house for more than 200 years and family members served in every American war throughout the 19th and 20th centuries up through World War II. In 1965 Elizabeth Odell gave the property to a small chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution to be used as a museum, but that goal was never achieved. In 1973 the Odell House was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, this designation is honorary and provides no protection of the property.

 After 1990, the house was vacant and unprotected. Over the next 20 years, it was vandalized and began to severely deteriorate. It was not accessible to the public. Local residents and the wider historic community became increasingly concerned that it would be lost completely.

On March 4, 2020, the house became the property of the Town of Greenburgh, and with the help of the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters it is becoming a museum where all can learn the importance of its role in history. Amazingly, the house was never modernized, and many original details remain, including the mantlepieces, wallpaper, and furniture. It is an extraordinary “time capsule” of a local house that has survived through almost three centuries.

The Town has received $2,200,000 from NY State and added $1,100,00 from their own revenues. With those funds, the house was stabilized, and full physical restoration will be completed by early 2026.

The Friends of the Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters is currently raising funds to create a museum within the restored house and surrounding property. Through grants from several generous organizations and many private donors we have already funded both an archeological study of the property and a cultural landscape plan. We have hired a noted museum design firm to guide the process of creating a 21st century museum within the house.

We continue to seek funds to create the museum exhibits and to provide programming. The house will be a major part of the New York State commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026 and a wonderful tourist destination for years to come.