About the house
The Parks original house was a 1 ½ story, one room, heavy timber frame house of mortise and tenon construction with hand hewn beams and is now set up as an 18th century kitchen called the “keeping room.” The Beehive fireplace and the loft are of special interest to visitors. There is a barn and a summer kitchen attached.
In 1820, the house and property was purchased by Sheldon and Daniel Benedict, two brothers who were responsible for building the main part of the house. This two story part was built between 1830 and 1840 and was done in Federal architecture using bricks that were made on the property at the Benedict’s Brick Factory.
After many owners, the house eventually became the property of the Glens Falls Portland Cement Company. In 1986, the company generously donated the Parks Bentley Place to the Historical Society of Moreau and South Glens Falls.
Through the efforts of the historical society and a local graduate student, Mary Sayers, the Parks Bentley Place was listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1994. Many volunteers, local businesses and groups have assisted in the restoration of the house and in the landscaping of the property.