Book excerpt: We know that Widow Hasbrouck opened her home to Washington in 1782, but the Hasbrouck family history itself has been distorted over the years by myths and legends. Much like the story of Washington chopping down the cherry tree, legend has it that the Hasbroucks and Washington would take a daily sojourn to the family orchards, where Jonathan Hasbrouck would first taste the general's fruit to ensure it was not poisoned. The truth is that Jonathan and Washington never met. In this revealing book, A.J. Schenkman finally dispels the rumors and relates the history of a prominent Newburgh family whose homestead ultimately became the nation's first publicly owned historic site in 1850.