Artist's Colony, Oakdale New York

Once a part of William K. Vanderbilt's estate, Idle Hour, this quaint little residential community was once a sixteen acre farm complex.

The building that I'm sitting in front of was the entrance and is called the Clock Tower, which was once the water tower for the estate. The tower's clock, while the Vanderbilt's owned it, was wound everyday by a jeweler who lived in a neighboring town. 
The outbuildings included a stock barn, which housed a herd of fifty Alderney cows and bulls.  There was a creamery, poultry barns, piggaries, a duckhouse, dog kennels, an eagle house, a forge and a house for the farm superintendent.  There was also a barn where the farm horses were kept.  A pig wallow, which are next to the piggeries, has been restored.   However, none of these looked anything like your typical farm.  Each of these outbuildings looked like residences and were set up as row houses, making them look like one long house. 

One of the homes inside the Artist's Colony. 

 The Vanderbilt's left the estate in 1926 and the farm area was bought up by artist  Lucy Sawyer Pritchard Thompson and her son, William the 3rd.

Mrs. Thompson turned the farm area into residences and invited several of her colleagues to live and work out in Oakdale.  And so the Artist's Colony was born.

 Exhibitions were popular as were theatre group presentations.  A restaurant called the Tally Ho Inn was a well known stopping off point for residents and the public alike.

Today these are private residences but you can still ride up and down the streets and marvel at the quaint houses and streets with names like Featherbed Lane, Princess Gate and Frog Lane. 

There are creeks and canals to pass as well as preserved wetlands that are filled with all kinds of wildlife.  Rob and Susan have come down here many a time in years past, no matter what the season is.  In the summer, you just might encounter couples on bikes taking in the quiet history of the colony or some neighborhood kids selling iced tea or lemonade and some homemade cookies or tempting baked brownies.

Here are some links:

This is a great site.  Idle Hour, the Vanderbilt's estate, is now Dowling College.  This is their official website and this link provides a virtual tour as well as the history of the place.

http://www.dowling.edu/about/idlehour/history1.shtm

An article from examiner.com long island.  I borrowed one of the pictures from this article.  
http://www.examiner.com/landmarks-historic-districts-in-long-island/oakdale-s-idle-hour-artists-colony

Here it is on wikimapia
http://www.wikimapia.org/13207224/Oakdale-Artist-Colony

Old Long Island has some interior shots of Idle Hour as well as other Vanderbilt homes around the Long Island area. 
http://www.oldlongisland.com/search/label/Vanderbilt

Laurelton Hall, Louis Comfort Tiffany Estate, Laural Hollow, LI, NY

In back of me stands the minaret from Laurelton Hall, Louis Comfort Tiffany's estate in Laurel Hollow.  It's only a handful of ruins that's left of the original estate which burned to the ground in the late 50's.  It was originally used as a smokestack for the power house.

Ruins of the covered bridge

Laurelton Hall was built between 1902 to 1908 as Tiffany's country estate. Built on a hill overlooking the Long Island Sound, this estate had eight floors and was filled to the brim with his favorite art pieces from his own collection.  The number of rooms differ from each article and range from 65 to 84 rooms and also differs on the size of acreage which measures anywhere from 580 to 600.   On the grounds were conservatories, tennis courts, a private bathing beach and included 60 acres of formal gardens. 

It also contained the Tiffany Chapel which was housed in a separate building that was shown in the Columbian Exposition of 1893. 

In 1915, Tiffany opened a small school on the grounds of the estate,  In 1918 he began the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation as a summer retreat for artists and craftspeople.

Tiffany died in 1933, but the Foundation continued to function until 1946 when the estate was sold. It was abandoned soon after and fell into disrepair.  Laurelton Hall burned to the ground in 1957, but many of the original pieces were salvaged by owners of the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida.  In 2010, a new exhibit was built to display the remaining artifacts of the estate.  The loggia Laurelton Hall is still on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

There are lots of links including black and white photos of Laurelton Hall in 1924.

Old Long Island with pictures of the Laurelton Hall estate
http://www.oldlongisland.com/2009/02/laurelton-hall.html

Article in the St. Petersburg Times
http://www.tampabay.com/features/visualarts/a-wing-devoted-to-tiffany-treasures-opens-at-the-morse-museum-in-winter/1156239

Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurelton_Hall

The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation
http://louiscomforttiffanyfoundation.org/

The Morse Museum Collection with more on Laurelton Hall and Tiffany.  Contains history and black and white photos.
http://www.morsemuseum.org/collection/laurelton_hall.html

Wikipedia article on Louis Comfort Tiffany

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Comfort_Tiffany

Laurelton Hall Loggia a new site that is still under construction.  Gives a bit of the history and shows more black and white photos. 

http://www.laurelton-hall.com/loggia.html

Caumsett, The Estate of Marshall Field III, Lloyd's Neck, Huntington, NY

We spent the afternoon at Caumsett State Park in Lloyd's Neck on the north shore of Long Island.   The house is not open for tours, but you can hike its many trails, watch the horses run and play at the stables and just enjoy the surroundings at another Gold Coast estate.

Marshall Field III was the richest man in the world when he purchased a strip of land on Lloyd's Neck in 1921. It was a sizable fortune, inherited from his grandfather, Marshall Field I, who founded the now famous department store in Chicago. 

 Marshall Field III was famous for many things in his lifetime.  He was a publisher, philanthroper, merchant, banker, and farmer who owned several properties.   There was an estate in New York City, one in Chicago, another in Maine and a hunting plantation in South Carolina in which they all spent time.  But Mr. Field and his wife, Evelyn wanted to create a self sustaining country estate similar to one that the family enjoyed in England.  And so, in 1922, work began on one of the grandest of the Gold Coast estates, Caumsett, a Matinecock Indian word meaning "place by a sharp rock."

The Winter Cottage

After the lands were cleared, the Fields hired noted architect John Russell Pope to build everything that would require a self sustaining estate including Summer and Winter cottages and a stable for the polo grounds, not to mention the manor house and smaller homes for the caretakers and workers.  The famous Olmstead Brothers worked on the landscaping.  This estate was to be used for every outdoor activity; polo, hunting , riding, sailing, yachting , tennis and swimming plus a dairy and greenhouses.  The Field family and their guests could easily access the estate from New York City by airplane, yacht or car. 

Horses feeding at the stables

In 1961, Mrs. Ruth Field, Marshall Field's widow and third wife, sold the estate to State of New York with the promise that Caumsett would be "used forever for park purposes." and to this day remains a beautiful park with many things to see and do.  In 1996, the Caumsett Foundation was formed and in 2010 Caumsett State Park was designated as an historic park preserve for everyone to enjoy. 

New Stables

Here are some of the links that you will enjoy:


Official site of the Incorporated Village of Lloyd Harbor.
http://www.lloydharbor.org/village/brief_history.htm

Official site of the Caumsett Foundation which will explain in more detail about the history of Caumsett and for its future plans for the preserve.
.
http://www.caumsettfoundation.org/Caumsett_Site/History.html

More of the history of the estate plus an article from 1921 regarding the sale of the land to the Field family. 

http://www.caumsettfoundation.org/index_files/Page665.htm

Here are photos of what's left of the dock area including the sharp rock that Caumsett is named for.

 http://www.caumsettfoundation.org/index_files/Page798.htm

Wikipedia article.  Check out the external links, especially the second one which has black and white photos of some of the estate buildings that were torn down in 1970 and the inside of the manor house.  To see the pictures, click on the link provided then click on the camera icon to the left of the screen. 


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caumsett_State_Historic_Park

Official site of Caumsett State Park. The picture above is that of the old stables.

http://www.nysparks.com/parks/23/details.aspx

View from the rear porch overlooking  Long Island Sound

Methodist Campground, Merrick, LI, NY

The area north of where I'm sitting was used as a Methodist campground from 1869 into the 1920's. It's also locally known as Tiny Town because of the small size of the cottages and small streets that encircle the camp, one inside of each other.

Religious activity was at its peak in the 1860's and Methodists from all over New York State met here every year for ten days. The campgrounds attracted anywhere from 300 to 10,000 people.   They would park their wagons inside the circles and live out of them.  Eventually, some of the parishioners built small cottages instead of living out of the wagons.  There was also a chapel and a minister's house built, which are local residences today.

These "camp meetings" were held all over the United States. With no permanent villages to contain the influx of new settlers and the lack of parishes, there arose a need for a place where Christians could worship thus the Campgrounds were born.  Similar to the revival meetings, these camp meetings were often led by traveling ministers who solved the problem.  The crowd literally "camped out" especially if it was a few miles away from their homes.  They could either stay for the entire meeting or leave after a few days.  Continuous services were held in which parishioners would take part. Hymns and religious song filled the air.

The chapel

There are camp meetings still held today in the United States mostly held by the Pentecostal and Wesleyan religious groups.

There are some links that I will include here.  

This Wikipedia article will explain more on  the camp meetings:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_meeting  

 Merrick Methodist Church site includes history of Merrick and the campgrounds. 

http://merrickumc.com/campgrounds.htm 

History of Merrick page.

http://merrickhistory.pbworks.com/w/page/26467400/History-of-Merrick,-NY 

New York Times article on Tiny Town

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E5DC123FF930A15753C1A9639C8B63 

Here is the Wikimapia site showing the circular streets

http://www.wikimapia.org/4291864/Tiny-Town-Campgrounds 

Minister's House

Bialystok and Bloom, Rockville Centre, LI, NY

Enjoying a decaf coffee and a chocolate chip biscotti at another great eatery, Bialystok and Bloom in Rockville Centre, NY where you can get the best tasting tuna and roast beef sandwiches around.  Susan and Rob have been enjoying their fine salads, sandwiches and desserts for years.

Started in 1987 by four partners, the current owner, Rahul, bought the place from the surviving two owners, who, by the way, weren't in the food business.  Back then, it was located not too far from its current address, on Park Avenue, still in Rockville  Centre.

  
They told Rahul that he would never survive, but two things have kept him going.  His father and his positive attitude.  He knew the place would work out and it has.

Looking for a bigger place, Rahul moved to 19 Clinton Avenue two years ago, up the block and around the corner from his old store on Park Avenue.  It's bigger but it's still the same great stuff.

All the salads are fresh and homemade.  The bread and bagels are all bought from a local bakery, but the sandwiches, salads and desserts Rahul comes up with are the best around and creative as well.

Rahul caters to the entire tri-state area and it's all word of mouth.  Many of his customers have never been inside his cafe which basically serves only ten people.

But Rahul loves what he does and he is dedicated to his craft and it's evident in what he creates and the love he put into creating the best sandwiches and salads out there.  Susan and Rob took home overstuffed tuna and roast beef sandwiches plus a half pound of his great tuna.

Bialystok and Bloom has their own website and they are also on Facebook and Twitter, plus its own blog which is updated everyday. I will include  links to their sites as usual.

So again, when you're in the area, stop off at Bialystok and Bloom or as it's known locally, just Bialystok.

As usual here are the links:

Bialystok and Bloom official site which includes their blog, menu and catering menu:

http://bialystokbloom.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=bialystok-bloom

Sagamore Hill, Oyster Bay, LI, New York

Since it's President's Day, I've decided to share our visit to Theodore Roosevelt's home, Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, NY.  Susan and Rob have toured the home many times and decided to just make a trip up here to tour the grounds.  However, I will share with you some of the history of the Mr. Roosevelt's "summer White House" and some pictures from inside the house.

In the 1870's, Theodore Roosevelt and his family spent summer vacations in Oyster Bay.  He grew to love the area so much that when he finished college, he decided that the best place to settle with his wife and raise a family would be Long Island. Roosevelt purchased farmland in Cove Neck on a peninsula just east of Oyster Bay.  After hiring architects Lamb and Rich to build a sturdy modern house in the Queen Anne style, construction began in 1884.

 

 
In February, 1884,  Roosevelt's wife Alice died two days after giving birth to his daughter that he named for her. The house might never have been completed had not family members convinced Theodore to continue so that he would have a proper home to raise his infant daughter.

In 1886, Theodore was reacquainted with a childhood friend of his sister's, Edith Kermit Carow.  They married soon after and moved into Sagamore Hill in 1887. It was here that they raised their six children for a span that covered 30 years.

After Roosevelt's death in 1919,  eldest son Ted hoped to raise his family at Sagamore Hill, however, his mother, Edith, wanted to continue living there.  Ted was given a few acres nearby where he built Old Orchard, a nearby brick mansion.  Today it is a museum for Mr. Roosevelt and his family. The upstairs rooms are used as the park's administrative offices.  It is located in what once was Sagamore Hill's apple orchard and is close enough to walk there.  Trails around the house lead to the beach and around the woods and gardens.

Old Orchard Museum

 Edith died in September of 1948 at age eighty seven.  It wasn't until 1962 that Congress established Sagamore Hill as a National Historic site to preserve the house with the National Park Service.  In 1966, Sagamore Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.   

Here are some links:

I found a tour of the house on youtube.  It's a bit broken up but I've found all the parts to it.

this is part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmm5I-5vynw

part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf_r6VEtMBQ&feature=related

and part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1MIfKeJnyc

This is the official site for Sagamore Hill.  The site has some  historic old videos of the house and the family and there is a gallery of pictures from both houses.  Very interesting site and a must to visit. 

http://www.nps.gov/sahi/index.htm

and for Old Orchard Museum.  I borrowed the picture of the house from this site.


http://www.nps.gov/archive/sahi/oom.htm

Theodore Roosevelt Association site:

http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/modern/sagamorenewsday.htm

self guided tour of Sagamore Hill. Explains some of the rooms and what's in them


http://www.ehow.com/how_2217858_tour-theodore-roosevelts-sagamore-hill.html

Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagamore_Hill_%28house%29

South Side Sportsmen's Club, Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Oakdale, LI, NY

Today we visited Connetquot River State Park Preserve, once the home of the South Side Sportsmen's Club, which was incorporated on the 6th of April, 1866.  The club was originally started by a group of wealthy sportsmen who frequented the popular Snedecor's Tavern, which they eventually purchased and expanded. 

We took a house tour today at 1 and it certainly was a beautiful day for one, although cold and a bit windy.  Our tour guide was Ellie, who showed us the entire place from top to bottom and then some.

One of the smaller bedrooms on the second floor

Entering through the Main House into the gift shop (originally Snedecor's Tavern in 1820 before it was reframed and extended by the Club in 1868) the tour began in the Ladies  Sitting Room, which now houses the offices of the Connetquot River State Park Preserve Environmental Education.  Moving upstairs we caught a glimpse of the bedrooms which were expanded to house over 100 club members. A separate house, referred to as "the New Annex", was built in 1899 by eight members of the club who pooled their resources. It is currently the residence of the Park Manager.

Here I am in front of the New Annex

Moving back down to ground level, we entered the Ladies Dining Room.  None of the pieces are original, but Ellie explained that when the Club sold the property to New York State in 1973, everything was auctioned off, right down to the names on the lockers in the Rod and Gun Room, where the equipment was kept. This included the silverware that was used in the Ladies Dining Room, which is currently on display by a generous donation.  You can tell by the initials SSSC etched into the spoons, knives and forks on the table.

Ladies Dining Room

Moving from the small but lovely Trophy Room to the Men's Dining Room, Ellie pointed out a most unusual device that we have never seen before.  Attached to the radiator was a warming tray, a precursor to the more modern microwave oven.  Men placed their cold food inside to warm it up. 

Ellie showing off the Rod and Gun Room's beautiful wooden lockers

We moved into the large kitchen area which fed the entire club. After moving through the Rod and Gun Room, we entered another room toward the back, originally used to clean freshly caught game.  Currently in use as the BOCES-SCOPE Outdoor Learning Laboratory, it has been most recently used by the Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts as well as school groups.  Look above and you will notice a skylight, which opens for ventilation, a rare sight seen in the late 1800's.  

Kitchen area

The last room we entered was the Billiard Room, the last room which was original to Snedecor's Tavern, and, according to the pamphlet we received, was moved 25 feet to the southwest and a three story section of the building was added between the Billiard Room and Snedecor's.

With a little help from the "Friends of Connetquot", the Billard Room is in the process of being refurbished to the way it looked originally.  Rocking chairs dot the wood floor while over in the corner is a small bar which featured a BYOB (there are little cabinets to furnish whatever bottle you brought yourself).  The room is filled with duck decoys (for which the club was famous).  A Ben Franklin stove from the Astor House in NYC sits against the wall in the center.  Originally, the Sportmen's Club could only be reached by carriage.  Later on, it could be reached by railroad where they had their own clubhouse.  An indoor weather vane still operates from 1820.

Many famous celebrities were guests here. Among them were Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. Grant, William "Tecumseh" Sherman and Mary Pickford to name a few.

Once outside, there are trails that lead almost anywhere.  There is a grist mill that is being refurbished.  It was started by the Nicoll family, a very prominent Long Island family that have many roads named after them.  Called the Oakdale Grist Mill, it was built in 1750 by William Nicoll the first and used by local farmers to grind  wheat and corn.  The mill was in use up until 1878, but the Club loved to look at it and was kept standing.  Damaged by a storm in the 20's the mill is currently being refurbished.

Nicoll's Mill

Many trails lead you around the Club and you can where you can see the Main Garage, the Carpenter's House, the Ice House and the Hatchery Building, which is a mile upward from the Club.  Built in 1890 and still in use today, it provides many local parks with brook, brown and rainbow trout.  We plan to visit it at another time, but it is one of the things that can be enjoyed at this preserve.

The Connetquot Park Preserve has its own unique history beginning with the Secatogue Native American tribe, who named the area Connetquot meaning "Great River".  The path leading up to the Club was originally an old Indian road which later became a stagecoach road and was once a split off of old Montauk Highway, Route 27A.

It was settled originally by the Nicoll family in 1684 and 1697.  In 1820, the family leased a portion of their land to Eliphalet Snedecor who built his Tavern.  It became the South Side Sportmen's Club in 1866 and they expanded their holdings, eventually totaling to 3,473 acres.

The Club sold the land to the New York State in 1963 for $6.2 million, but leased back the property for another ten years.  In August, 1973, the Club was opened to the public to be used as a recreational facility.  In 1978, it was was declared a State Park Preserve by the New York Legislature.

So please, if you are in the area, visit this beautiful state park and preserve.  There are many walking and hiking trails to enjoy.  The house and gift shop are open to the public.  You can walk where Native Americans, early settlers and wealthy sportsmen once walked, hunted and fished.  Become a part of history and visit the Connetquot River State Park Preserve in Oakdale, NY.  It's worth a trip. 

As usual, I am including some links:


Official site:

http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/8/details.aspx

Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connetquot_River_State_Park_Preserve

Friends of Connetquot official site
http://friendsofconnetquot.org/

Article in Newsday mentioning the Connetquot River State Park Preserve and Bayard Cutting Arboretum from May 1, 2001:
http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/connetquot-river-park-and-bayard-cutting-arboretum-1.805699

The many trails inside the Connetquot River State Park Preserve:
 http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGN094-072