VANDERBILT - MANSION - NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE • NEW YORK Contents Historical Background Colonial Beginnings of Hyde Park . . . Doctors John and Samuel Bard . ... Development of the Estate by Dr. David Hosack and Walter Langdon, Jr. . . . The Vanderbilt Period General Information Establishment of the Area How to Reach the Historic Site .... Visitor Service and Facilities Administration Rules and Regulations Page 3 3 4 12 '4 •4 '4 1 [ H '5 Views of the mansion from two of the many beautiful vistas to be had on the grounds. THE COVER Designed and built by the firm of McKim, Meade, and White in 1896—98, the Vanderbilt Mansion is one of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance architecture in the United States. It served as the home of Frederick W. Vanderbilt, gentleman and financier, until his death in 1938. Mr. Vander- bilt was a grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded the family fortune in steamboating and railroading. Photograph through courtesy of the New York Times Studio. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Harold L. Ickes, Secretary NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ■ Newton B. Drury, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C Price 10 cents 2 VANDERBILT MANSION NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, at Hyde Park, N. Y., has well been called a '"monu- ment to an era." A magnificent example of the great estates built by financial and industrial lead- ers in the period of expansion which followed the War between the States, it represents an important phase of the economic, cultural, and sociological history of America. From the time he purchased it in 1895, until his death 43 years later, this was the home of Frederick W. Vanderbilt, gentleman and financier, a grand- son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who founded his family's fortune in steamboating and railroading. The mansion itself, considered by many to be among the finest examples of Italian Renaissance architecture in the United States, was designed and built by the illustrious firm of McKim, Meade, and White in 1896—98. Stan- ford White, Ogden Codman, Whitney Warren, and other noted decorators chose its elaborate furnish- ings with care and good taste. A continental atmosphere is conveyed, testifying to the inclination of wealthy Americans, even at the turn of the twen- tieth century, still to draw upon Europe for much of their inspiration in culture and in art. Much older than the mansion as a portion of an estate are the 211-acre grounds, maintained as a country seat since colonial days by such families as the Bards, Hosacks, and Langdons, each of whom contributed to its development. Here are old trees, many of them from foreign lands, gardens which delight the lover of flowers, and wide, spreading lawns everywhere lending dignity and grace. At- tractive views of the lordly Hudson, the Shawan- gunk Range to the west, and the Catskill Moun- tains to the north are afforded from the estate. Historical Background Colonial Beginnings of Hyde Park On April 18, 1705, the then Governor of the Province of New York, Edward Hyde, Viscount Cornbury, fixed his signature to a paper which practically gave away, in the name of Her Majesty Queen Anne, about 3,600 acres of the most scenic land in British America. The recipients of this princely gift were "Peter Fauconnier, Esq., Benja- min Ask, Merchant, Barne Cosens, gentleman, and John Persons, gentleman, all of New York." The land in question lay "on the east side of Hudson's River in Dutchess County, called by the Indians Eaquaquanesick," in the immediate neighborhood of Crum Elbow Creek. Representatives of these owners met at "James Harding by the Ferry on Long Island," on September 8, 1730, for the pur- pose of "justly dividing the same by casting of lots," and there executed a deed of partition. One of this group of "patentees," Peter (Pierre) Fauconnier, was a Frenchman by birth, but had fled his native land in company with thousands of other Huguenots who became religious exiles under the provisions of the revocation, in 1685, of the Edict of Nantes. Going first to England, where he served under the Duke of Marlborough, Faucon- nier finally emigrated to America. Here his for- tunes fared well. He occupied a number of offices under Lord Cornbury and, in 1 702, was appointed secretary to the governor. Later he was made one of the three commissioners for managing the office of collector and receiver general of New York. In yet another capacity, as surveyor general of the province, he was afforded frequent opportunities of speculation, which were apparently not neg- lected, as his name is found in many of the land patents of that period. None of these acquisitions are known to have come down to his descendants, however, except for his interest in the Hyde Park patent. Peter Fauconnier died sometime between April 10, 1745, and November 6, 1746. The Hyde Park estate, which he is said to have named in honor of his patron (although this is sometimes credited to Dr. John Bard), was apparently not developed in his lifetime, but was left as wild and untouched as when it first came into his hands. Doctors John and Samuel Bard Fauconnier's share and interest in the Hyde Park patent appears to have passed to his daughter Magdalene, wife of Peter Valleau. Mrs. Valleau sold her 2 x /\ shares to her son-in-law, Dr. John Bard; and he later purchased the other outstand- ing shares, thereby becoming sole owner of the patent. The name of John Bard is well known to every student of American medical history. He was born at Burlington, N. J., in 1 7 1 6, and was of French Huguenot descent like his wife. He ob- tained his early education in Philadelphia. There also, at the age of 1 7, he was bound apprentice to a talented but bad-tempered English surgeon, John Kcarsly. Only his determination not to disappoint his mother and his affection for kind-hearted Mrs. Kcarsly seem to have held him to 7 long years of rigorous training with this severe instructor. John Bard finally began medical practice in Philadelphia and married Suzanne Valleau, who was a niece of Mrs. Kcarsly. In 1 746, his lifelong friend, Benjamin Franklin, induced him to move to New York, where an opportunity seemed to open up because of the recent death by yellow fever of two prominent physicians, Dr. Dubois and Dr. Dupie. His sound professional knowledge, per- sonal graces, and sanguine disposition soon gained him a large following. Among medical scholars, he became especially noted as the first American physician to take part in systematic anatomical dis- section for the purpose of instruction. In 1759, a Dutch ship arrived in New York harbor carrying cases of malignant ship fever. The town employed Dr. Bard to initiate suitable quar- antine regulations in order to safeguard the health of the town's people. The disease was so bad that every attendant and nurse was stricken with it. This experience impelled Dr. Bard to memo- rialize the town corporation to provide a pesthouse, or quarantine station, where future epidemics of a similar character could be isolated, treated, and suppressed. The town responded by purchasing Bedloe's Island (now Statue of Liberty National Monument), together with a building standing on it, for that purpose. Dr. Bard was appointed health officer. He acted also as agent, physician, and surgeon for the British Navy at New York. This he continued to do until he retired from practice. Professional success, however, seems to have been attended by some financial difficulties, and, in 1768, this apparently brought Dr. Bard to decide on the sale of all his Hyde Park property. A broadside published for this purpose throws inter- esting light on the status of the estate at that time : New York, May 12, 1768. ADVERTISEMENT To be sold by the subscriber, living in New York, eitlier all together or in distinct farms, a tract of land in the county of Dutchess, and province of New York, called Hyde Park — bounded to the northward by Staatsburgh; to the westward by Hudson's River, along which it ex- tends three Miles and a Quarter; and to the southward and eastward by the Fish Creek; — containing 3,600 acres. The tract in general is filled with exceeding good timber, fit for staves, ship-timber, and lumber of all kinds, and abounds in rich swamps; a great part of the up-land exceeding good for grain or grass, and has on it some valuable improvements: — particularly to the southward, A LARGE WELL IMPROVED FARM, with a good house, a large new barn, a young orchard of between 5 and 600 apple trees, mostly grafted fruit, and in bearing order; between 30 and 40 acres of rich meadow ground, fit for the scythe; and about 150 acres of up-land cleared and in tilling order. There is belonging to the said tract, three good landing places, (particularly one on the above farm), where the largest Albany sloop can lay close to a large flat rock, which forms a natural wharff; and which is an exceedingly fit place for a store, as a good road may easily be made from it through the tract into the Nine- Part ners [another patent], which is now a fine wheat country. The title warranted to the purchaser. John Bard. Map of the Hyde Park Patent, about 3,6oo acres, showing land sales made by Dr. John Bard and Dr. Samuel Bard. In the time of Mr. Vanderbilt the estate comprised ap- proximately the tracts labeled "Dr. David Hosack" and "Magdalene." The national historic site comprises the land owned by Mr. Vanderbilt west of the Post Road and fronting the Hudson River. Hackett Map, from Year- book, Dutchess County Historical Society, N. Y. The particular landing place mentioned in this broadside was Bard's Rock, which may still be seen on the east shore of the Hudson River near the mouth of a small stream (known as "Marian- netta") at the northwest corner of Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site. Dr. Bard him- self later built a storehouse there. Near the rock was a spring where old whaling ships from Pough- keepsie used to fill their casks with drinking water before putting out to sea. Later there also ap- pears to have been a ferry across the Hudson at this point. Dr. Bard never carried out his intention of 1 768 to dispose of the entire Hyde Park property, but between that date and 1795 he did sell off a large 5 portion of it, roughly about 1,500 acres. He con- tinued to live principally in New York, however, until 1772, when he retired and moved his home to the estate. There at Red House, as he called his residence, he found snug retreat during the troublous days of the Revolutionary War. Becom- ing enthusiastic about the possibilities of pomology and forestry in Dutchess County, he tried endless experiments on his own grounds, realizing the Ciceronian ideal of old age — planting trees for the benefit of generations yet unborn. The doctor thus became a country squire. But this pastoral existence was not to last for many years. After the Revolution, having lost considerable money through investments in mining and ironworks, he returned to private practice in New York, where, in partnership with his son, Dr. Samuel Bard, he served as attending physician to George Washington, then in his first term as Presi- dent of the United States. A signal honor came to Dr. Bard in his selection as first president, in 1 788, of the newly organized Medical Society of New York. Seven years later, in 1 795, when 80 years old, he gave an address before the society con- cerning yellow fever, then threatening the city, and House of Waller Langdon, Jr., grandson of John Jacob Astor, which formerly stood on site of present Vanderbilt Mansion. This house was demolished in /S95 by Mr. Vanderbilt to make way for the present structure. From a painting done in 1856 and reproduced in Yearbook, Dutchess County Historical Society, N. Y. methods for its treatment. Three years later he again retired to Hyde Park, where he had his chil- dien about him. There he died of cerebral hemor- rhage in 1799, having attained many honors and with the satisfaction of a life of work well done. His remains were buried not far east of the present Saint James Church. Shortly before the death of Dr. John Bard, what remained of the Hyde Park estate was transferred to his son, Dr. Samuel Bard. Among medical men, the latter achieved renown surpassing even that of his famous father. He was born in Philadelphia in 1742, and 4 years later, when Dr. John Bard moved to New York, began his grammar-school education. After several years of work at King's College, he was sent abroad for the study of medi- cine. A French privateer captured the ship on which he had taken passage and took it to Bayonne. Here he was thrown into prison, there to remain for 5 long months until Benjamin Franklin finally effected his release. Going thence to London, he was admitted as an assistant to Dr. Alexander Rus- sell, a physician at St. Thomas' Hospital. From London the pursuit of knowledge took him to the University of Edinburgh, then the most famous medical school in the world. The year 1765 saw him homeward bound once more, with a degree of Doctor of Medicine, together with a prize for an herbarium containing over 500 indigenous vege- tables of Scotland. Crum Elbow Creek where it is crossed by the entrance drive. 6 Along the approach to the mansion low-spreading cano- pies of huge trees make shadow patterns on the lawn. Upon his return to New York. Dr. Samuel Bard joined with his father in the practice of medicine and soon acquired great popularity and a large clientele. Assisted by five other physicians, who, like himself, held their degrees from European uni- versities, he was not long in realizing an early ambi- tion to establish a medical school in the city. This new institution, the second of its kind in America, opened its doors as part of King's College (later Columbia), with Bard as professor of the theory and practice of physic; and when its first degrees were conferred in 1 769 he delivered an address which was instrumental not only in raising funds for the school, but later ( 1 79 1 ) in founding the New York Hospital. The school was closed during the Revolution, and in 181 1 it was separated from Columbia College and became the College of Physicians and Surgeons, which now, for a number of years, has been part of the vast educational system of Columbia University. Dr. Bard was con- nected with the institution for 40 years, the last 20 as dean of the faculty and as trustee. The outbreak of the Revolutionary War natu- rally disrupted the practice of many professional men in America. Dr. Samuel Bard was among them. He moved to Shrewsbury, N. J., and for a time gave the benefit of his chemical knowledge to a salt-manufacturing enterprise, salt being a highly necessary article of war provisions at that time. Funds for this venture finally running out, he re- turned to New York soon after the British captured the city. There, amid great difficulties, he finally regained his former practice, and by the end of the conflict was once more in comfortable circum- stances. Mary Bard, a cousin, whom he married in 1770, was at Hyde Park during most of this un- certain period; and her letters to her husband, and also those she received from him, are filled with mutual love, courage, and devotion. Following the close of the Revolution, as previ- ously mentioned, Dr. Samuel Bard served as per- sonal physician to George Washington, and, as- sisted by his father, performed what was then a major operation on the First President. This in- volved the removal of a carbuncle on the left thi^h. After 1 79 1, when the New York Flospital opened, he became one of its most eminent visiting physi- cians, spending much of his time in the study of obstetrics. This was his chief field of medical knowledge, and his Compendium of the Theory and Practice of Midwifery (1807) went through 7 View of main entrance hall of the mansion. 7 he The woodcarving, executed by Swiss craftsmen, is one of pilasters are of green and white marble, imported the distinctive features of the den and library. Courtesy from Italy. The Flemish tapestry above the fire- ' the New York Times Studio, place bears the insignia of the de Medici family. View of the dining room. On the floor is an Ispahan rug over 300 years old. Two Beauvais tapestries cover the panels on either side of the beautiful marble pilasters at the entrance to the room. Courtesy the New York Times Studio. M h view of the drawing room, which is paneled with \\ed Circassian walnut, shows an American Steinway lid piano, decorated in Paris, and a magnificent six- Vth century Brussels tapestry. Courtesy the New York Times Studio. Above: The grand staircase leading from the first to the second floor of the mansion. Courtesy the New York Times Studio. Left: The room formerly occupied by Mrs. Vanderbilt is in French taste. On the floor, specially woven to fit its borders, is a beautiful Aubusson carpet. Richly col- ored medallions adorn the wall panels, which are pastel green in shade. Courtesy the New York Times Studio. Left: Dark green tapestried walls, heavily carved walnut woodwork, and deep red rugs from India decorate the room formerly occupied by Mr. Vanderbilt. Courtesy the New York Times Studio. five editions. He also made noteworthy contribu- tions to the study of diphtheria and yellow fever, and helped to found the City, or "Society," Library and the New York Dispensary. Dr. Bard lived much, and during his later years entirely, on the family estate at Hyde Park. There he built a new mansion, a large house on the high elevation rising 300 feet above the Hudson and commanding a superb view of the river to both north and south. He likewise continued the lines of work begun by his father, and initiated others. The first greenhouse in Dutchess County is said to have been built by him. Even Thomas Jefferson did not excel him in quest of European trees, shrubs, vines, fruits, and vegetables that could be successfully grown on American soil. He bred merino sheep, investigated the diseases to which they were subject, and published a useful Guide for Young Shepherds ( 181 1 ) embodying his researches on that subject. The Society of Dutchess County for the Promotion of Agriculture made him its first president (1806), and in this connection he en- couraged the use of clover as a crop and gypsum as a fertilizer. And certainly not the least among his endeavors was the establishment of Saint James (Episcopal) Church at Hyde Park, which his gen- erosity and interest helped to found. Other than this, the family life of the Samuel Bards at Hyde Park appears to have been filled with activity from sunrise to sunset. The good doctor's daughter left a graphic description of it. She wrote : "My father's time, after his settlement in the country, was passed with much regularity: the principal part of my instruction he took upon him- self. Arithmetic, geography, &c. occupied the early part of the morning; drawing and botany succeeded; and our studies generally ended with a walk in the woods, or a scramble among the rocks, in which I delighted to follow him. His pockets, on such excursions, were generally filled with such new plants as we could collect; affording a botani- cal lesson for the dav, and specimens for future illustration . . ." When the cold Hudson Valley winters came on, and these sylvan studies could no longer be pur- sued, Dr. Bard and his loved ones gathered around their great blazing hearth, enjoyed visits from their many good friends, and in the long evenings read Shakespeare, Cowpcr, and other classical writers. As he wrote to his son in February 1802, "we con- tinue to enjoy ourselves with uniform comfort, and uninterrupted, because temperate, pleasure." An attack of pleurisy caused the death of Dr. Samuel Bard on May 25, 1821, at the age of 79. His death followed within 24 hours that of his wife who had suffered from the same ailment. They were buried side by side in the little churchyard of Saint James. Three of ten children, together with several grandchildren, survived them. The Hyde Park estate, now further reduced by sales to only 540 acres, was inherited by the one surviving son, William Bard, later the organizer and first presi- dent of the New York Life Insurance & Trust Co. About 1827, William Bard sold the Hyde Park lands to Dr. David Hosack. Tall specimens of pine, fir, and hemlock provide variety of form, color, and texture in contrast to the broadleaved tree species. 10 Development of the Estate by Dr. David Hosack and Walter Langdon, Jr. It was once observed that Dr. David Hosack, De Witt Clinton, and Bishop Hobart were the "tripod" on which New York City stood in the early nineteenth century. David Hosack was born in New York on August 31, 1769, received his arts degree from the College of New Jersey (Prince- ton) in 1789, and then studied medicine in New York under Nicholas Romayne, Philip Wright Post, and Samuel Bard, and in Philadelphia under Benjamin Rush. Soon thereafter he went abroad to further his preparation at London and Edin- burgh. On his return to America in 1794, he brought with him a large collection of minerals and also a collection of duplicate specimens of plants from the herbarium of Linnaeus. The year 1795 saw him appointed professor of botany at Columbia College, and 1 797 of materia medica. He con- tinued to hold both positions until 181 1. Dr. Hosack's success in treating his patients dur- ing the yellow fever epidemic of 1 797 increased his reputation and was partly responsible for his being taken into a partnership by his old teacher, Dr. Samuel Bard. When the latter retired, Dr. Hosack succeeded to his practice. He was a pioneer in the use of the stethoscope, in limiting the use of the lancet, and in advocating vaccina- tion. He was attending surgeon at the Burr-Ham- ilton duel. Between 1807 and 1808, he taught materia medica in the newly chartered College of Physicians and Surgeons. A few years later, in 181 1, he resigned his position at Columbia in order to take the professorship of the theory and practice of physic in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of which he was also vice president from 1822 to 1826. He withdrew in the last-named year to join in the founding of the short-lived Rutgers Medical College, which he served as president until 1830. The establishment of Bellevue Hospital in 1820, upon the institutional basis of the infirmary previously founded by Dr. John Bard, was also in large part due to his efforts. Even this long list does not exhaust the catalog of Dr. Hosack's accomplishments, for his interest in fields other than medicine ran deep and wide. At various times he was president of the New York Historical Society, the Horticultural Society, the Philosophical Society, and the Literary Society. Deeply interested in plants, flowers, and trees, he founded the Elgin Botanical Garden (1801), in The large ginkgo, or maidenhair tree, on the grounds south of the mansion, is thought to be the second largest of its kind in the United States. New York City. This garden covered 20 acres, part of it being on the site of the present Rock- efeller Center. When Dr. Hosack took over the Hyde Park es- tate, he continued its development along the lines laid down by previous owners. He engaged Andre Parmentier, a Belgian landscape gardener, to lay out new roads, walks, and scenic vistas. This work was probably done between 1827 and 1830. From the point of view of landscape gardening, Hyde Park has been under cultivation for a century, and from the point of view of horticulture for over a century and a half. In 1 840, 5 years after the death of Dr. Hosack, his heirs sold the mansion tract, or principal part of the estate, to John Jacob Astor. Mr. Astor almost immediately made a gift of this purchase to his daughter, Dorothea Langdon, and her children, Eliza, Louisa, Walter, Jr., Woodbury, and Eugene Langdon. Walter Langdon, Jr., eventually bought out the property interests of his mother, sisters, and brothers, and by 1853 had become sole owner. He continued to live at Hyde Park, a country gentle- man, until his death in 1894. During this long period the greenhouses and flower gardens were enlarged, the farm land east of the Albany Post Road was reunited with the property (by purchase in 1872), and Mrs. Langdon laid out the paths through the woods on that part of the estate. 1 1 The Vanderbilt Period Walter Langdon had no children, and when Hyde Park was offered for sale in 1895, Frederick W. Vanderbilt purchased it. The new owner, then about 40 years old, was the third son of Wil- liam Henry Vanderbilt, the railroad magnate. He early evidenced a strong inclination for study and literature and after going through the usual educa- tional curriculum entered Yale, where he was graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School in 1878. With this solid foundation of learning, he applied himself to the acquisition of a thorough business education. This was obtained in the of- fices of his father's great New York Central Rail- road system. No better school for practical train- ing could be found anywhere. He went through every department in the railroad service, master- ing the general details of the whole business; and the heads of departments, in which he worked in a comparatively humble capacity, remarked in the highest terms on his studious application and will- ingness to submit to the rules and regulations of the office. Mr. Vanderbilt was extremely modest and un- assuming in his demeanor. In no sense a club man, he preferred domestic comforts above every- thing else, spending most of his time at home in later years, absorbed in his books and family. His town house in New York was at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fortieth Street and was a gift from his father, who had in turn received it from Com- modore Vanderbilt. This residence was long re- garded as the most magnificent in the city. He also had a home called "Rough Point" at Newport, R. I. Like the squires of Hyde Park who had preceded him, Frederick W. Vanderbilt left his own impress upon the Hudson River estate. The old Langdon Mansion, which possibly incorporated part of the earlier residence built by Dr. Samuel Bard, was demolished, and in its place Mr. Vanderbilt erected the present larger and more imposing structure. Roughly speaking, this has about 50 rooms on 4 levels, including servants' quarters and utility fea- tures like the kitchen and laundry. The entire construction, concrete and steel, faced with cut stone, is fireproof, except for the interior paneled walls. Mr. Vanderbilt also erected new carriage houses, stables, and farm buildings; built new en- trance gates and gate houses; and somewhat modi- fied the treatment of the gardens and grounds. What is now called the pavilion served as the Van- derbilt home at Hyde Park while the mansion was under construction and is understood to be a re- modeling of the Langdon stables. Continental taste, with the chief emphasis upon Italian and French, is shown in the elaborate fur- nishings of the Vanderbilt Mansion. There are nearly a score of fine tapestries, including French, Flemish, and Brussels weaves, dating from the six- teenth to the eighteenth century. The den and library, a masterpiece of the woodcarver's art, con- tains more than 700 volumes; including works of history, economics, the natural sciences, and classi- cal and modern literature. An unusually large Ispahan rug, 3 centuries old, covers the floor of the expansive dining room on the north side of which are two carved Renaissance mantels in mar- ble, one bearing the Medici arms and the other taken from a palace of the Emperor Napoleon III. In this room also may be seen two highly interest- ing planetaria made in London during the eight- eenth century. The grand piano in the drawing room, an Amer- ican Steinway, was originally decorated in Paris, for the home of Mr. Vanderbilt's father in New York City. From this house, too, came the Staf- fordshire candelabra and clock which grace the mantel of the den. Another interesting clock, heavily mounted in ormolu, and made by the Pari- sian firm of P. Sormarie, stands in the eighteenth century French salon, which is described by author- ities as an unusually splendid example of the rococo style of the Louis XV period. The two master bedrooms constitute a fascinat- ing study in contrasts. That occupied by Mrs. Vanderbilt, who before her marriage was Louise Anthony, is in French style. On the floor of this room, specially woven to fit its borders, is a beau- tiful Aubusson carpet. The bed itself was copied from a similar feature at Malmaison, chateau of the Empress Josephine. Richly colored wood panel paintings adorn the upper portions of the walls, which are pastel green in shade. Much darker and heavier in feeling is Mr. Vanderbilt's room, with carved walnut woodwork, somber green tapestried walls, a large carved marble man- tel, and deep red rugs made in India. Red velvet upholstered chairs and davenport heighten still further the effect thus created. 12 In the halls and entries are other objects of art. Here are a pair of Venetian torcheres and two small chateau guns. Enclosed in a glass case is a model of the "Warrior," one of several yachts which Mr. Vanderbilt once owned, and on which he cruised in practically all waters of the world. In another hall are hung valuable Flemish and Brussels tapestries. And finally, Mr. Vanderbilt's interest in painting is displayed in a collection of fine subjects done by Lely, Bougucreau, Keller- Reutlingen, and other famous artists. Figuratively speaking, the mansion is a palace, brought over from the Old World and transplanted on the banks of the historic Hudson. Not less interesting are the grounds of this baronial estate. Some of its fine specimen trees, numbering some 50 species and varieties, are dupli- cated only in the Nation's best arboretums. Those species of foreign origin include the European ash, European beech, English elm, Norway spruce, Nor- way maple, Japanese red-leaved maple, and maid- enhair tree. Among the native American trees represented are the sugar maple, flowering dog- wood, eastern hemlock, Kentucky coffeetree, white oak, black oak, chestnut oak, eastern white pine, and blue spruce. The gardens, which lie south of the mansion, represent several periods of development. They are divided into three units: the greenhouse gar- dens, the cherry walk and pool gardens, and the rose garden. The first of these consists of three separate parterre gardens within a rectangle framed on the west by the rose and palm houses and on the north by the carnation house and the old gardener's cottage (now the superintendent's residence). The cherry walk and pool gardens are located east of this group at a lower level, and progress from the pergola to the garden house. The rose garden, still farther east, has two ter- races and contains panel beds. Maintenance of these gardens by the National Park Service is in the spirit of the last, or Vanderbilt period, of private use. General Information Establishment of the Area Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, comprising 21 1 acres of beautiful grounds, together with numerous structures, including the home of the late Frederick W. Vanderbilt, was established in July 1940, as a unit of the scenic and historic areas set aside in perpetuity by the United States Government for the benefit of the people. This was made possible by the gift of the estate to the Government for that purpose by Mrs. Margaret Louise Van Alen, Mrs. Vanderbilt's niece, who had inherited the estate upon Mr. Vanderbilt's death in 1938. How To Reach the Historic Site The Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is situated on the western side of U. S. Route 9, at the northern edge of Hyde Park, N. Y., about 6 miles north of Poughkeepsie. Rail and motor- bus service is available to and from the principal eastern centers. Visitor Service and Facilities Entrance to the grounds is by the south gate on U. S. Route 9. This gate is just north of the town of Hyde Park. There is an admission fee of 50 cents per person, but children under 16 are ad- mitted free when accompanied by responsible adults. Visiting hours are from 1 1 a. m. to 5 p. m. daily, except Monday. Passing through the entrance gate, traffic fol- lows the south drive to a parking area near the mansion. The gardens and greenhouses are reached by a footpath which runs along the river bluff from the south portico of the mansion. Exit from the site is by the north drive and gate on U. S. Route 9. This drive affords especially fine views of the Hudson, Esopus Island, and the mountains beyond. Guided tours of the mansion are conducted every half hour, on the hour and half hour. Efforts are made to schedule these tours at more frequent intervals when heavy visitation warrants it. Visitors may walk about the gardens and grounds at leisure. Detailed information concerning the area may be obtained from the guides or attendants on duty, or from the superintendent, whose office is in the mansion. Administration Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is administered by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior. Address all written communications relative to the site to the Super- intendent, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Hyde Park, N. Y. 14 Many beautiful vistas of the Hudson and the mountains beyond are seen from the north drive. Rules and Regulations The following rules and regulations have been established in the interest of good administration and public service. Visitors are courteously re- quested to observe them. 1 . The speed limit on all roads within the his- toric site is 1 5 miles per hour. Drivers should pro- ceed slowly and cautiously. 2. Parking along the south drive is not permitted for reasons of safety. 3. The nature of this area does not allow pic- nicking at present. Nearby picnic facilities may be found at Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park, 4 miles north of the site on U. S. Route 9. 4. Visitors to the mansion must be accompanied by a guide. 5. The area is a sanctuary for all forms of wild- life, and hunting and trapping are unlawful. Fishing is also prohibited. Any disturbance of natural features, including shrubs, trees, and flow- ers, is also prohibited. Dogs and cats must be leashed at all times, and are not permitted in the buildings. 6. Report any articles lost or found to the super- intendent's office. 7. The use of still and motion-picture cameras for noncommercial purposes is permitted. Com- mercial and news photographers must apply to the superintendent for permission to take pictures in the area. 8. It is unlawful to deface or destroy signs, buildings, or other property. 9. Help to keep the area clean. Do not throw papers or other litter on the ground. Burning matches and cigarette stubs arc fire hazards. Please use care in their disposal. 10. When in doubt as to the interpretation of rules and regulations, please ask for further infor- mation at the superintendent's office. 15 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1942 16 26837-1