Learn US History on Summer Travels in New York and Pennsylvania

There is no better way to absorb a history lesson than an actual visit to and exploration of historical sites. My personal experience includes visits at two historical sites on the east coast of the US. Kykuit, The Rockefeller Estate on the Hudson River, home to four generations of Rockefellers including former Vice President and Governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller. Grey Towers, located in Milford, PA, the family home of the twice Governor of Pennsylvania and the "Father of American Conservation", Gifford Pinchot.

Trips to historical sites such as these are appropriate for children age 10 and up. Smaller children would find them uninteresting and too exhausting. The exposure to these wonderful estates and the countryside they are located in is part of our American heritage. Left to us by the historical figures that built these homes and secured the surrounding properties for future generations of Americans.

Kykuit

My husband and I took the sightseeing tour offered by the New York Waterway to see the Rockefeller estate. We found the trip on the ferry up the Hudson River to be an added bonus to the tour of Kykuit (Dutch word for "lookout"), the Rockefeller estate.

New York Waterway - Sightseeing Cruises
http://www.nywaterway.com/sightsee_fullday.html#kykuit

If you can plan this trip up the Hudson River on a fine day then you will experience the added joy of riding the Waterway ferry to your drop off point in Sleepy Hollow, NY. The views from the ferry of the shoreline are magnificent and you can see grand structures along the way. The boat usually provides a guide that will describe these points of interest as you move along up the river. When you arrive at your Sleepy Hollow landing you will be taken by bus to the historic Philipsburg Manor, a working Dutch-Colonial farm. Lunch is available at the café in the visitor building or you can walk to one of the surrounding deli's to get some lunch. We enjoyed eating outside and then walking through the colonial village and listening to the guides dressed in period costume explain the various things going on. One that fascinated me was the making of Gingerbread cookies.

After lunch and a tour of the Philipsburg Manor farm, you will return to the bus. A short ride will bring you to Kykuit the Rockefeller Estate. The home was built for John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil with his son John D., Jr. supervising planning and construction. The construction took 6 years and was completed in 1913.

You will see how appropriate the name Kykuit is when you behold the astonishing view of the Hudson River from the stone terrace behind the estate. As the bus passes through the grounds you will be able to glimpse some of the 20th century sculpture that Nelson Rockefeller added to the grounds in the 1960's and 70's. Nelson personally guided the installation of these pieces to ensure that they were placed to best advantage on the grounds. Sometimes viewing the property from helicopter and moving the pieces several times. He wanted the sculptures to bring an additional dimension to their surroundings. There is one piece of sculpture near the golf locker/shower room. It has a rounded opening. If you stand and look directly through the opening, you will see a portion of the view of the Hudson River behind the estate.

There are so many levels of time captured in this estate. Built in 1913 for John D. Rockefeller, you can see the locker-room where John D. and his golf partners dressed for and showered after their golf game. The nameplates are still attached to the wood cabinet doors of the lockers. John D. and his golf partners would have played their game of golf on the 9 hole course constructed right on the estate grounds.

In the underground tunnel system and basement of the estate Nelson Rockefeller installed the most wonderful private art gallery. Works by George Segal, Warhol, Motherwell are a few of the American artists featured. There is a pen and ink drawing by Toulouse Lautrec. A collection of old patent bottles the family collected from the surrounding area is displayed in a glass cabinet. Charmingly, there are two Danish Modern lounge chairs positioned to view the art works in one area of the basement gallery. These you are told are where Nelson and a guest could relax, enjoy the artwork and visit. You can imagine them doing just that. The vibrant colors of the modern art works are spectacular and you feel as if you are touring an art gallery completely separate from the tour of the house and grounds.

You walk outside from the basement and tunnel area out onto the grounds to explore the extensive formal gardens. The walk takes you to a building set just off to the side of the estate itself. This is the carriage house. I was thrilled with this beautiful structure. It is built of stone and as you step inside you see the horse drawn carriages used by the family. In front of the carriages are large photographs of the actual family members captured as they took rides in these carriages. The horse stalls are beautiful. Again you can imagine another time when this carriage house was filled with beautiful carriage horses and groomsmen to care for them. You can view riding equipment used by the family in the carriage house as well. In addition to the horse drawn carriages there are also automobiles the family used in different generations, including the limousine used by Nelson Rockefeller when he was Governor of New York.

At the end of the tour of Kykuit your bus will return you to the ferryboat landing in Sleepy Hollow for your return ride down the Hudson River and back to the Waterway pier in New York City.

Kykuit is now the property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, maintained by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

If you would like to take the Grand Tour of the estate you will need to travel to the area by car or train, as this is a much longer tour combining the house and garden tour with a visit to the 2nd floor balcony of the house to see wonderful views from the sitting rooms and important paintings from Governor Rockefeller's collection.

Kykuit is open for the season daily from April 23rd through early November. Closed on Tuesdays.

You can obtain tickets and information about Tours at the Visitor Center at Philipsburg Manor located on Route 9 in Sleepy Hollow, NY. The Center opens at 9:00 a.m. (closed on Tuesdays) or on-line. Gift certificates can also be purchased and they are non-refundable but have no expiration date. The certificates are modeled after share certificates in the Standard Oil Trust, founded by John D. Rockefeller.

You may order the tickets by phone (914) 631-9419 or on-line and save $2.00

Historic Hudson Valley
https://www.hudsonvalley.org/web/plan-kykgift.html

Grey Towers

Grey Towers is the family home of Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the US Forest Service and Governor of Pennsylvania from 1923-1927 and 1931-1935. Construction on Grey Towers was started in about 1884 by the foremost American architect Richard Morris Hunt, for Gifford's' father James W. Pinchot. The home was completed in 1886 when James and Gifford's mother, the former Mary Jane Eno, Gifford and his sister Nettie and brother Amos moved into the home on August 21st, Gifford's 21st birthday. The style of the home most closely resembles that of a chateaux of the late fifteenth century. A defining feature of the home are its towers. One of these "tower rooms" served as Gifford's home office. You can view this room today, left as it was when Gifford lived in the home.

The most important aspect of Grey Towers construction is the use of only local building materials and local labor. Roofing slate came from nearby Lafayette, New Jersey and stone on the estate site was used in building. Decorative bluestone was obtained from the nearby location of Shohola, PA. A great variety of wallpapers were used in the interior of the home. These were purchased from Warren, Fuller and Lange of New York. James Pinchot was formerly a partner of this firm when it was called Pinchot and Warren's paper hangings. James did so well in business that he was able to retire in 1875 at the age of 44.
Grey Towers is located in the small town of Milford, PA in Pike County, northeastern Pennsylvania about two hours from New York City. It was primarily a mild season residence used from May until November when the family returned to their New York residence. The location is bordered by New Jersey and New York. When the Pinchot's were in residence at Grey Towers there are accounts of the family "collecting guests" at the train station in Port Jervis, NY and bringing them by horse drawn carriage out to Grey Towers.

The approach to the home is along a winding tree lined roadway and gradually as you come around the last turn you can see this charming chateaux appear with its distinctive towers. There is a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside and the town of Milford from the terrace side of the property.

Knowledgeable tour guides will relate the history of the home and its inhabitants as you work you way through the home and gardens.

Throughout the house and on the grounds you will see unusual objects that Cornelia and Gifford brought back from their travels to the South Seas.

Among the notable people that were visitors at Grey Towers was the close friend of Gifford, Theodore Roosevelt. The personal relationship between Pinchot and Roosevelt had great impact on the conservation movement in the early 1900's. Family friends included William Jennings Bryant and the Civil War General, William Sherman. Edwin Booth, the esteemed actor and brother of John Wilkes Booth.

You will learn charming facts such as gardening tools being left in the entrance of the home for visitors to pick up and join Cornelia and other family members in the garden. The landscaping of the estate was Cornelia's most unique contribution. In addition to a swimming pool installed around 1923 she also engaged William Lawrence Bottomley to design and construct between 1932-1935, the Finger Bowl. This is a raised pool surrounded by a wide flat ledge that held place settings for meals. Across the pool of this raised bowl food was floated to diners in wooden bowls as they sat around the perimeter. Over their heads was an arbor covered in wisteria.

This beautiful and unique residence and the surrounding property were donated to the USDA Forest Service in 1963 by Gifford and Cornelia's son, Gifford Bryce Pinchot. President John F. Kennedy presided at the dedication ceremonies at Grey Towers in 1963.

Tours of the Grey Towers mansion and gardens are conducted daily on the hour from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., from Memorial Day Weekend through the end of October. All visitors are accompanied on the tour by a guide.

Grey Towers National Historic Site
http://www.fs.fed.us/na/gt/local-links/historical-info/mansion.shtml