On the busy corner of 204th Street and Broadway, is a throwback to what Upper Manhattan looked like, when New York, was New Amsterdam. A time when the city basically existed downtown and uptown, was the country. Among the settlers here - the Dyckmans.  

"The Dyckmans at one point owned about 250 acres of land from river to river, which is hard to imagine in present day New York City," says Meredith Horsford, executive director of Dyckman Farmhouse Museum

It really is. And that's why the descendants of the first Dyckmans to arrive here restored the home in 1915 to preserve it. They gave the last surviving Dutch Colonial Farmhouse in Manhattan to the city a year later. It's been a museum ever since. 

"The Dyckman family members that created it they brought in a few pieces that were original to the family then they also got pieces that were of the time period to create the museum," says Horsford.

Inside is the parlor used back then for dining and socializing. There's a bedroom upstairs. On the lower level, the winter kitchen, used to keep the house warm in the winter. A separate kitchen was used in the summer to avoid making things hotter. On the same level, visitors can see a piece of Manhattan Schist - the rock that the house is built into. 

"Normally if you are building today you would dynamite it out of the way, but they built the house right there, and this is really a risky area," Horsford said.

Also located on the Farmhouse property, a Hessian Hut. The Hessians were German soldiers who fought alongside the British during the Revolutionary War, and during the British Occupation of Manhattan Island, about six to eight Hessian soldiers would stay in the huts, right here in Inwood.

The farm couldn't be recreated, as the area became populated - but there is a park and garden on about half an acre.  Activities are held indoors and outdoors throughout the year.. from lectures to kids' camps. 

"We try and do a lot of programs that engage our community. We try and do a lot of bilingual programs," said Horsford.

The house is open Thursday through Sunday - by appointment for groups on other days. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more go to DyckmanFarmhouse.org.