Henry Livingston, Jr.
Walk the Land


House    Barn    Cove    Field    Hill

Birds of the Property




The Site of Henry Livingston's House
Henry Livingston's house sat near the Post Road, today's Route 9, to the right of the roads leading from the highway to S.F.B. Morse's house. The exact location of the house is not known, but a marker stands near where the house would have been. Like many of the early Dutch homes, Henry's house was built of stone, its narrow side to the highway. The family called it "The Old Stone Mansion." A story and a half in height, with dormer windows lighting the reduced size of the second floor, the center door of the house was of the traditional divided Dutch style, and painted green to match the house's window shutters.

Opening the front door, one found a staircase to the second floor in a hall that divided the first floor. The space beneath the stairs was used by Henry as his writing den. At the most, the house would have held Henry, his wife, and eight of his children.

A map made by Henry in 1799 shows one building behind the house, and another across the access road from the highway.


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The Barn
The green-painted barn stands on the left of The Lane Loop trail, just past the deer fence. The barn has been added onto over the centuries, the farthest part from the road having been probably built by Henry in the 18th century, the rest being added later by other Locust Grove owners. Just past the barn are the remains of a well-made stone fence from the days of the Young family.

The original part of the barn has a two story interior, and a basement. The basement has an exterior door and a dirt floor, so might have been for livestock. The large, two story first floor was originally a hay barn, entered by huge barn doors, and having a wide plank floor, a huge hayloft, and enormous hand-hewn beams in the roof.

On the north end is a barn section having a hardwood floor and a little staircase going up to a finished loft. There is no documentation as to the original use of this part of the barn, but it might have been used for storage of barrels, or sealed containers that would have been safe from the small animals that would have been able to get into the unsealed barn.

The other parts of the barn were likely built by the Young family. At the north end, a pair of double doors open onto a long wing that travels to the east. This is the cow barn, broken into stalls headed by a long, continuous trough for easy feeding of the herd.

The east end of the barn is the only part with a partial brick wall. It's thought to have been used as a horizontal silo, the brick walls acting like a brick tank, where silage would be able to take place to produce the final mash.

Around the outside of the barn is a large pasture where cows would have grazed on the hay in the summer, before the hay was harvested and put in the barn for the winter.

Today the barn contains only old farm machines and implements.

barn
Click on image for more pictures of the barn area


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Sunfish Cove
Before the railroad was built into the Hudson River, the eastern shoreline of Sunfish Cove would have been the Hudson River shoreline of Henry's property. The deep forests along the shore would have been lowland meadows.

barn
Click on image for more pictures of the cove


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The Field Across Stream from Barn
As in Henry's day, a meadow surrounds the barn. Now it just provides us with a beautiful open vista. In Henry's day it would have been planted with grains for the lifestock who would have grazed here. In winter, the hay would have been cut and stored in the nearby hayloft of the barn.

Through the field runs the creek - seen here only by the wetland pussywillows - that was damned up by the Youngs to provide a lake for summer recreation and winter ice. In Henry's day the creek would have run down to the Hudson, passing by Henry's sawmill on its way, and providing the energy for the creation of the boards used on the property.

barn
Click on image for more pictures of field


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Looking Down Hill to the River
From here we get a better idea of the size of the property. Behind us the hill continues up to the Morse house. In front of us, it flattens out into fields that march all the way to the River.

barn
Click on image for more pictures from hill


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The Field Across Stream from Barn
As in Henry's day, a meadow surrounds the barn. Now it just provides us with a beautiful open vista. In Henry's day it would have been planted with grains for the lifestock who would have grazed here. In winter, the hay would have been cut and stored in the nearby hayloft of the barn.

Through the field runs the creek - seen here only by the wetland pussywillows - that was damned up by the Youngs to provide a lake for summer recreation and winter ice. In Henry's day the creek would have run down to the Hudson, passing by Henry's sawmill on its way, and providing the energy for the creation of the boards used on the property.

barn
Click on image for more pictures of field


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Birds of the Property
From Henry's poetry, we can see what native birds were particular favorites of Henry and his family.


E'er Phoebus has gladded the plains,
E'er? the mountains are tip'd with his gold.
The sky larks shrill matin proclaims,
A songster, harmonius as bold.

The Linnet, and Thrush, thro the day,
Join notes with the soft cooing dove;
Not a bush, but can witness a lay;
Or the softer endearments of Love.
Invitation to the Country




Hasty pilgrim stop thy pace
Turn a moment to this place
Read what pity hath erected
To a songster she respected.

Little minstrel all is o'er
Never will thy chirpings more
Soothe the heavy heart of care
Or dispel the darkness there.

I have known thee e'er the sun
Hath on yonder mountain shone;
E'er the sky-lark hath ascended,
Or the Thrush her throat distended;
Cheerful trill thy little ditty
As the singer, blithe and pretty.
On the Death of a Little Serenading Wren


Sky Lark

Linnet

Thrush

Wren


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