The Town of LaGrange

SOME HIGHLIGHTS ON THE HISTORY OF HORTICULTURE IN DUTCHESS COUNTY

Joseph W. Emsley

In the Dutchess County Historical Society Year Book for the year 1928 there was printed portions of a talk given by Miss Helen W. Reynolds at a Society pilgi image entitled "The Story of Hyde Park." The article details the important role played by members of the Bard family in the early landscaping of estates on the Hudson River, particularly in the originally patented area of Hyde Park. Included were the Vanderbilt estate and the home and grounds of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, now all part of Federal Government Historic Sites. Attention is directed particularly to the Vanderbilt estate, the principal area of the Bard family property.

Referring to the Hyde Park properties as well as all of some eighty county seats along the Hudson River, Miss Raynolds emphasized the value of the land along the river and the love for the land by the Livingstons and all the early land owners. The key to the originally landscaped properties such as patented "Hyde Park" was the turf and the richly grassed lands. There were magnificent trees on the estates, and unexcelled views of the Hudson River.

Dr. John Bard and his son, Dr. Samuel Bard, both distinguished New York City physicians during the latter part of the 18th Century, gave to Hyde Park its original landscaping and related horticultural developments. Dr. John Bard was a personal friend of Benjamin Franklin; Dr. Samuel was personal physician to President Washington.

In the 1932 Historical Society Year Book, President Franklin D. Roosevelt contributed an article entitled "Broadside of 1768 About Hyde Park" in which he made known how Dr. John Bard came into possession of the Hyde Park property. In 1705 a patent for a tract of land in Dutchess County was granted to Peter Fauconier. Bounded by the present villages of Hyde Park and Staatsburg, the tract, more specifically was bounded by Crum Elbow Creek on the south and a small stream which reaches the Hudson River just below Staatsburg on the north.

Ultimate title to the patented properties was acquired by Dr. John Bard who had married Susanne Valeau, a granddaughter of Peter Fauconier. In 1772 Dr. Bard came to Dutchess to make his home on the land. The name, Hyde Park, was used to designate the whole area of 3,600 acres covered by the patent of 1705. At the time, Fauconier was reported to be acting as private secretary to the then Governor of New York, Edward Hyde, or Viscount Cornbury. There was the implication that Hyde Park was largely undeveloped and its potential value lay in timber obtainable for commercial purposes.

Dr. John Bard came to live in Hyde Park in 1772, remaining there about 10 years. Because of financial reverses, however, he returned to

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New York to resume his medical practice. He returned to Hyde Park in 1797, only to die in 1799.

Dr. Samuel Bard, the son, in 1798 decided to remove from New York City and began to build a house at Hyde Park, where he made his hcme frcm 1798 until his death in 1821. In 1813, he was elected president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and locally was made president of the Dutchess County Medical Society, formed at Poughkeepsie August 25, 1804. Both Dr. John and Dr. Samuel were interested in trees. Dr. John, during the 10 year period, 1772-1782, had an orchard of 700 to 800 apple trees, and many trees of grafted fruit, choice English berries, pears and plums. He set out a large number of locusts, then regarded as valuable Ember, for trees were in demand for ship building, posts, rails, etc.

Dr. Samuel wrote, "We have been planting a fortune for our children, a great quantity of locust seed, our farm is to be one great forest of locust trees." This recalls Mr. Roosevelt's interest in planting trees, beginning with his activity in the state's Conservation department when he was Governor.

Dr. Samuel Bard did more for horticulture at Hyde Park than his father. He added a greenhouse on his place, imported fruits from England, melons from Italy and wines from Madeira. He became the first president of the Society of Dutchess County for the Promotion of Agriculture, and furthered the importation of merino sheep to improve the woolen manufacture.

After the death of Dr. Samuel, his former partner in New York, Dr. Davis Hcsack, bought Hyde Park and made it his home from 1827 until his death in 1835. He was an eminent medical practitioner, and he also established the Botanical Gardens in New York City and became Professor of Natural History at Columbia College, and served as president of the Horticultural and Philosophical-Literary Societies and the New York Historical Society.

Dr. Hosack employed Andre Parmentier, a Belgian, who came to New York in 1824, and was said to be the first gardner in America. He was credited with having laid out the roads and plantations of the Hyde Park properties. He died in 1830. According to Miss Reynolds from the point of view of landscape gardening, Hyde Park was under cultivation for 100 years, and from the point of view of horticulture 150 years.

Walter Langdon was the succeeding owner of "Hyde Park" and Frederick W. Vanderbilt the owner for whom the present estate north of the village proper now is named. Miss Reynolds describing Hyde Park concludes: "As you walk around the grounds today I ask you to say to yourselves: 'This is one of the first bits of landscaping done in America; here we have traditions of an early interest in scientific farming, in horticulture, in tree planting. Here was centered leadership in medicine, and advanced work in several sciences was at a relatively early date in our own home community.' Surely, when we inform ourselves about Dutchess

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County, we find that we have much to look back upon with pride. It is our duty and our privilege to hand on to the future an intelligent understanding of the same."

John Bard, son of Dr. Samuel, born June 2, 1819, and died February 12, 1899, was a prominent layman of the Episcopal Church. He was associated with the presently known Bard College, Annandale-on Hudson. Through his wife, Margaret Taylor Johnson, he came into possession of a considerable fortune. In 1852, or 1853, he bought Robert Donaldson's estate, "Blithewood-on-Hudson," Red Hook township, and restored its former name of Annandale. Begun here were a number of outstanding developments, including the building of the Chapel of Holy Innocents at Annandale. This was destroyed by fire on the night of December 2, 1858, during the process of construction. However, the church was rebuilt and consecrated February 3, 1860. It became famous for its quiet dignity of architecture.

Landmarks of "Blithewood" and also "Montgomery Place," in the Northern Dutchess area remain known today for their architectural importance.

In the City of Poughkeepsie on the south end of Academy Street is found "Springside," the summer home of Mathew Vassar, founder of the college that bears his name. More and more landscape experts are calling attention to this Vassar home and the remaining vestiges of its extensive environs, the gifted work of Andrew Jackson Downing, probably America's best known landscape architect. Mathew Vassar himself called in Downing to plan and lay out his summer place which he occupied a relatively short time before his death. Mr. Vassar insisted on the best in architects for Vassar College buildings, among them Main Building the first of the college buildings. The design resembles that of the French palace of Versailles. The architect was James Renwick, who also designed St. Patrick's Cathedral and Grace Church in New York City. And a short distance south of "Springside" one can ' .see some of the finest planting in the County in the grounds of the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.

Below the city is the residence of Miss Annette I. Young, "Locust Grove," which overlooks the Hudson. Miss Young has taken great pains to preserve her house and grounds, once the home of Samuel F. B. Morse, famous for his pioneering development of the telegraph and also for his portrait paintings. On these grounds once stood the house of Henry Livingston, Jr. "Locust Grove" is no longer famous for its locust trees which were so numerous years ago.

Any talk of early landscaping and gardening in Dutchess County would be amiss without reference to the southern Dutchess Tironda-Craig House and Wodenethe properties at Beacon. Wodenethe eventually gave way to a housing project, but Tironda remains today an outstanding tribute to the original developer, Henry Winthrop Sargent and General Joseph Howland, who became owner of Tironda. It remains a place of outstanding horticultural significance.

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An unforgetable experience happened in April 1937 when a group visited Dutchess's own Shennandoah Valley and a forgotten road, the Old Miller Hill Road on the mountain ridge of the County's southern border. Mr. Wright Jackson, well known East Fishkill farmer and local historian, tells fascinatingly of the legends of the Old Miller Hill Road which a group of us revisited, penetrating our way through new tree grown areas, revisiting sites of one-time taverns. Here again we were told of the importance of the straight shipmast locusts in the one-time clearings, or of horse and rider parking grounds of an earlier day. John Truxon Miller, for whcm the original Miller Hill Road was named, built the mountainside house on the road as early as the 1780's. The lands of this area account in part for the appeal of Dutchess County to horticulturists and to historians down through the years.

Editor's Note: The President of the Historical Society, Mr. Joseph W. Emsley, addressed the Dutchess County Historical Society on May 15, 1968. A portion of his speech is printed in this issue of the Year Book.

WHERE TO LIVE

POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK On the Hudson, in one of the finest residence cities of America, noted for its health, thrift, intelligence and every requisite that makes life enjoyable. Accessible from New York and Albany, by thirty passenger trains daily, and elegant river steamers. Positively Healthy, through elevation of location, purity and dryness of atmosphere. Climate recommended by best physicians to those affected with bronchial and rheumatic affections. Death rate less than any other city in the State. Educational Advantages unsurpassed in the land. Fifteen private schools, including Vassar College and Eastman Business University. ATewspaPers of both political parties, three dailies and five weeklies. Residences and Pleasure Drives, the finest in tl,e country. Religious and Social advantages commensurate with the wealth and intelligence of the people.

H. G. Eastman, April 1, 1872 Mayor

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D. Darrah, dentist from New York, informs the Ladies and Gentlemen of Poughkeepsie that he has taken a room at Mr. Forbus's for one week only where he makes and fixes artificial teeth from single to a whole set, and so as to deceive on the closest inspection.

Political Barometer, Poughkeepsie, May 10, 1810.

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