Coordinates: 40°44′49″N 73°10′4″W / 40.74694°N 73.16778°W / 40.74694; -73.16778 Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park is an arboretum located in the hamlet of Great River, New York, on Long Island. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted for William Bayard Cutting in 1887.

The house at the heart of the park, Westbrook, is modeled on an English country house. Both the house and property were given to the people of Long Island by Bayard Cutting's widow and daughter "to provide an oasis of beauty and quiet for the pleasure, rest, and refreshment of those who delight in outdoor beauty; and to bring about a greater appreciation and understanding of the value and importance of informal planting".

History

Charles Sprague Sargent, director of the Arnold Arboretum advised in developing the extensive conifer collection north of the carriage house. Some of the most mature planting was damaged in Hurricane Gloria in 1985.

William Bayard Cutting's grandfather, Robert Cutting, had been Robert Fulton's partner in the ferry from Brooklyn to New York; they married sisters who were daughters of Walter Livingston. Cutting developed railroad interests in West India; his son was a pioneer in refining sugar from sugar beets.

In 1895 Cutting and his brother installed a golf course at Westbrook, which was the first private golf course in the United States.[1]

When a fire in 1895 burned down many of the farm buildings, Stanford White was commissioned to draw the plans for a modern dairy, Westbrook Farms, with many innovative features.

Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park is one of the last remaining estates on the South Shore of Long Island. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973 as a historic district.[2]

Activities

In addition to a nature trail and recreational programs, there is a food and a gift shop at Westbrook.

Books

George Roussos took photographs of various Long Island estates, and his photographs at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park were collected in his book, The Bayard Cutting Arboretum History: A History and Description of William Bayard Cutting and His Country House, Westbrook, Great River, L.I. Oakdale, New York: The Board of Trustees and the Long Island State Park and Recreation Commission, 1984.[3]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ Lynn Beebe Weaver (September 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Bayard Cutting Estate". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-02-20.  See also: "Accompanying six photos". 
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. 
  3. ^ The Bayard Cutting Arboretum: Publications. WebCitation archive.

External links