Wildercliff
Wildercliff is a privately owned estate on Mill Road, in Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, New York. It was the home of noted Methodist circuit rider Freeborn Garrettson and his wife, Catherine Livingston, of the Clermont Livingstons. It may be included in the Hudson River Historic District. History Wildercliff is a large house with Federal style details situated on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River. Built in 1799, it was the home of the Reverend Freeborn Garrettson (1752-1827), an early circuit riding Methodist minister, and his wife, Catherine Livingston (1752–1849). She was a daughter of Judge Robert and Margaret Beekman Livingston of Clermont, New York, and sister to "Chancellor" Livingston. The location of Wildercliff was originally part of the Artsen-Kip Patent, one of the Colonial era land patents granted by the British Crown. It subsequently became a farm owned by John Van Wagenen. Garrettson met Catherine Livingston in 1792 while visiting her brother-in-law, Dr. Thomas Tillotson at his estate, "Linwood". They were married the following year and took up residence in the Town of Rhinebeck in a small house near the Milan town line. In September 1799, Garrettson purchased 160 acres from Van Wagenen. The sale also included an exchange of