As a young man Hathorn, a native of today's Delaware, had been on the surveying

team that established the present land border between New York and New Jersey,
which had been the subject of a lengthy conflict between the two colonies for much
of the 18th century. He settled in Warwick and opened a store and iron forge in
1770, and built the house after marrying Elizabeth Welling, daughter of his local
host, in 1772. The inscription of their initials and the year of construction in
the side of the house is a tradition more commonly associated with Germanic
building traditions, a sign of how influential settlers of that background were in
the Hudson Valley.[1]

During the Revolutionary War he rose from the rank of captain to colonel, and was
promoted to major general afterwards.[2] According to local lore, George Washington
spent the night at Hathorn's house on two occasions.[3] Hathorn commanded the local
militia, entrusted with guarding the Ramapo approach to the Hudson Valley. He was
one of the few survivors of their defeat by Joseph Brant at the Battle of Minisink
Ford.[1] The front of the house holds a niche where he hid for a week from an
attempt on his life by local Loyalists and their Indian allies.[4]

After the war he began a more successful political career, first in the New York
State Assembly, where he rose to become speaker, then in the state senate and
finally in the House of Representatives in the early 19th century. Upon his death
in 1825 his family kept the house for nine more years, then sold it to the Sanford
family, who combined it with the lot holding the neighboring Jeremiah Morehouse
House. They added the rear building, the wings and the porch in addition to
doubling the house's original size. In 1923 they sold it to another family, and it
has passed through several owners since then. In that year, and again in 2000,
Hathorn's descendants held a reunion at the house.[1]

Today the road, a former section of Route 94, is named for Hathorn. A nearby
restaurant is also known as Chateau Hathorn.[3]

As of March, 2009, a Permaculture practice and education initiative has been

implemented on the site. Using the 9 acres (36,000 m2) across the street from the
Hathorn Stone House, Hathorn Farm has created a "beyond organic" garden that
maximizes rainwater and grows only heirloom and organic produce.

The Hathorn Stone House will be home to Hathorn Farm's education initiative
featuring Permaculture and a 72-hour Permaculture Design Certification course. Most
of the practical implementations of Permaculture were unknowingly implemented in
the days of the founding fathers, as many of the capitalistic absurdities of today
were not yet in existence. The current owners of the farm look to return the land
and farm, not only to embrace the days of Revolution against the bloody Red Coats
for taxation without representation that we experience in 2009, but to educate
Warwickians about the age-old teachings of homesteading that are comprehensively
taught with the curriculum of Permaculture Design Certification.

With running water now available after an ongoing court feud with the Village of
Warwick, where the court ordered a temporary restraining order against the Village,
a feud dating back over 100 years, the owners of the homestead directing the
Permaculture course can graciously greet their guests for their unprecedented
educational Permaculture course set for commencement on October 10, 2009.