Julie Cole named caretaker of the Bull Stone House

The Bull family of Orange County is one of the few American families able to say that their family homestead, built by their ancestors in the early 1700s, is still occupied by a family member. The almost 300-year-old Bull Stone House in Campbell Hall was built by William Bull and Sarah Wells, two of the earliest settlers in the area, and took 13 years to build. It is with great pleasure that the William Bull and Sarah Wells Stone House Association announces the appointment of a new caretaker to the homestead.

At the Association board meeting held in October, board president Lyle R. Shute Sr. made the following statement. “I am happy to announce today that the Board of Directors of the William Bull and Sarah Wells Stone House Association has named Julie Boyd Cole as the new caretaker of the Stone House!” Shute thanked the board and caretaker committee members for their diligence in the selection process.

Cole is a ninth-generation Bull family member through the lines of William and Sarah’s children John, Thomas, and William. She was raised in Orange County, attending Valley Central schools and then on to SUNY Oneonta. She is a published author of several books including, Sarah, An American Pioneer, about Sarah Wells, and speaks about Wells and the Bull family around the county. She is currently working as a writer for the National Kidney Foundation.

"I am so honored and excited to be a part of this legacy and to follow in the footsteps of the caretakers before me, including those in the Brown family who cared for this living museum for the last 80 years!” Cole said.

The Association board members expressed their gratitude to the Town of Hamptonburgh and local communities for all of their continued support.

For more information or to schedule a tour visit bullstonehouse.org or contact Cole directly at julieboydcole@gmail.com or on her cell at 352-871-5354.