The Niver cousins—John Niver and John M. Niver—emigrated to the area from Germany in the early nineteenth century. They built the first gristmill for rye flour; their prosperity built the Niver mansion just across the bridge along County Route 28 in 1848. The hamlet was ultimately named "Niverville" after the prosperous Nivers, although it was long known as Kinderhook Station, after its Boston and Albany Railroad, and Kinderhook and Hudson Railroad turntable, built in 1841. The railroad restaurant known as the Van Hoesen House (not to be confused with the Jan Van Hoesen House some 20 miles south in Claverack) has since become the Niverville Pub, serving the area with live music entertainment on a regular schedule.