The Red Fox of Kinderhook

By Linda Tancs

Born on December 5, 1782, Martin Van Buren was the first future president born a citizen of the United States. He was known as “the Red Fox of Kinderhook,” an acknowledgment of his red hair and his birthplace in Kinderhook, New York. That’s where you’ll find his post-presidency home, Lindenwald, a National Historic Site. Guided tours of the home are offered seasonally. In the formal parlor, you’ll learn of the countless meetings he hosted there. In addition to the home’s interior, a cell phone tour of the outside Wayside Loop Trail hosted by a park ranger shares a bit about the president and those who worked in the house and on the 220-acre farm.