Celebrating the Saw Kill: 175 Years of Scenic Protection
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Montgomery Place, Stevenson Library
10:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
This day-long event commemorates the1841 scenic preservation agreement between the owners of Montgomery Place and Blithewood, two historic estates now part of the Bard campus. Louise Livingston, the owner of Montgomery Place, and Robert Donaldson, the owner of Blithewood, agreed to purchase industrial mills along the Saw Kill from John Church Cruger and demolish them to preserve the scenic beauty of the Saw Kill. It is perhaps the earliest conservation agreement in the nation10:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
To focus attention on this historic event, there will be an exhibit, symposium, and walking tours on ecology and archaeology of the Saw Kill, and the landscape and architectural features of Montgomery Place and Blithewood, which are significant for their rare surviving examples of the work of noted 19th-century Romantic-era landscape designer Andrew Jackson Downing and architect A. J. Davis.
For the event, the historic house will be open for tours on the half hour between 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Lunch will be available for purchase. Space is limited and must be reserved. Please RSVP: [email protected]
For more information and a complete schedule of events, click here.
This program is sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard, Bard Environment and Urban Studies, American Studies, Historical Studies, and Landscape and Arboretum Studies Programs, Historic Red Hook, and Saw Kill Watershed Community.
For more information, call 845-514-8457, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Location: Montgomery Place, Stevenson Library