Locust Grove
Locust Grove is intimately connected
with the life of Samuel F.B. Morse, the 19th century
painter and inventor of the telegraph and Morse Code.
Nearly 100 acres of land, farmed and logged since the
1700s by the Henry Livingston family, formed the nucleus
of the property that Morse acquired in 1847. Over the
succeeding decades of his residency, he shaped his home
into a graceful country manor.
From Locust Grove, Morse maintained
his active involvement with many artistic and educational
organizations. He was a graduate of Yale University
where a prominent building bears his name. In 1834,
he became Professor of the Literature of the Arts and
Design at New York University. Under his guidance, NYU
stood at the forefront in the development of professional
training in art and art history. This later led to the
founding of NYU's preeminent Graduate School of Art
History., the Institute of Fine arts. He was also a
member of the first Board of Trustees of Vassar College,
the founder and first President of the National Academy
of Design, and a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art.
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Of the many outstanding features of
Locust Grove, few can rival the historic gardens. At
the top of the bluff, the main house is surrounded by
extensive gardens containing shrubbery, trees and flowers
that Morse would recognize from his own design. Scenic
vistas, planned by Morse, reveal the spectacular terraced
setting, as the Hudson River glints through the trees
on lower tiers. The influence of the picturesque, Romantic
19th century landscape design is evident. The grounds
also reflect Morse's knowledge of painting and landscape
architecture in the broad, sweeping river views, as
well as in the subtle detail of the geometric flower
beds.
Locust Grove, with its 150 acres of
trees and gardens, is the largest nature preserve between
Cold Spring and Hyde Park. The small lake, coves, and
wooded areas are home to many kinds of fish and wetland
creatures, and attract thousands of migrating birds.
Over 3 miles of walking trails lead to sunny coves along
the river, a cool waterfall, and stands of oak, tulip,
and locust trees that date to Morse's time. As part
of a greenbelt, including the Rural Cemetery and Springside,
Locust Grove possesses unmatched natural resources.
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Locust Grove has seen three major
phases of development. Samuel F.B. Morse acquired a Georgian
house, built in 1830 by John and Isabella Montgomery,
as part of the estate he purchased in 1847. Central to
his plan for improving the estate, Morse consulted his
friend, the well known architect Alexander Jackson Davis,
and together they created a villa in the popular Tuscan
style. To the original home, Morse and Davis added two
wings to the North and South, creating an octagon, as
well as the porte-cochère and billiards room to
the East, and the four-story tower structure facing west
toward the river; this established a powerful focal point
for the landscape that Morse was already planning.
In 1901, the Young family added the
large dining room wing at the north end, bringing the
house to its present form. The ground floor contains
the original kitchen and the laundry, both used throughout
the history of the house. This floor also contains the
Morse Exhibition Room, filled with Morse artifacts including
telegraph memorabilia and a copy of the original telegraph
patent model.
The unique combination of landscaped
lawns, vistas, and architecture make Locust Grove one
of the most handsome Hudson River estates. In 196, it
became the first in the valley to be designated a National
Historic Landmark.
In 1901, three decades after the death
of Samuel F.B. Morse, his family sold the estate to
William and Martha Young, whose daughter Annette Innis
Young, realizing its historic importance, preserved
the estate essentially as it had been in Morse's time.
Today the house contains works of art and decorative
arts from both the Morse and Young families.
Original Morse family pieces are exhibited
in period-room settings with diverse collections of
18th and 19th century furniture and decorative arts
acquired over the generations by the Young family. Among
the most important pieces of furniture are a paint and
parcel-gilt rush-seated suite consisting of a settee
and six chairs owned by the Morse family and used in
the drawing room. Morse family silver and porcelain
are also displayed in the house. These are shown along
with important pieces collected over the years by the
Youngs, such as two Duncan Phyfe settees, numerous other
Phyfe pieces (c. 1820), a rare Chippendale card table
and chairs (c. 1750), and a collection of mid 18th century
Dutch marquetry furniture. The fine arts collections
include paintings by Samuel F.B. Morse, representative
works by George Inness, Sanford R. Gifford, Henry Farrer,
and the Canadian artist Cornelius Kreighoff, as well
as a rare bound collection of Birds of America by J.J.
Audubon.
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Morse: The American Leonardo & his
"Invention of the Century"
What sets Locust Grove apart from
other historic sites is the additional dimension of
Samuel F.B. Morse's life as artist and inventor of the
telegraph. Called "the invention of the century" in
the first issue of Scientific American magazine, a replica
of his original telegraph is in the Morse Room on the
ground floor of the main house. Visitors can learn about
Morse Code and practice sending messages on telegraph
and radio keys.
Our guides tell the story of the telegraph:
from its beginning in a university art studio, through
its powerful first message, "What hath God wrought!",
sent from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, MD. to the
further improvements made in telegraphy after Morse's
death. This fascinating history has led to the instantaneous,
world-wide communication that we enjoy and depend upon
today. After seeing Locust Grove, the visitor to his
home soon understands why Samuel F.B. Morse, the father
of modern communications, is known as the American Leonardo.
The house and gardens are open every
day except Thanksgiving and Christmas, and every month
except January and February.
House tours are available May through
October for walk in individual tours from 10am until
3pm, group tours by appointment. During November, December,
March and April the house is open for tours, by appointment
only, from 10am until 4pm. You can arrange for a house
tour in French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese and
American Sign Language.
The new Visitor Center and Gift Shop
are open all year from 10am till 4pm, except major holidays.
The grounds are open 8am to dusk daily,
weather permitting. |
