Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!
NPTC Meetup across the US➢
One of our club members came up with a fantastic idea: to sponsor meetups in all seven NPS regions on the same day in June. In 2024, I hosted the North Atlantic Region’s event at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site. Some attendees traveled from as far away as Texas, and one couple from Arkansas celebrated their 300th park visit during the meetup. While we waited for our tour of the home to begin, we explored the adjacent Gardens at Bellefield.
Bellefield is an estate that was built in 1795 by a judge and then passed through many different hands. In the late 1800s, New York Senator Thomas Newbold bought the property. He expanded the house and built a formal walled garden. Bellefield remained in the Newbold family until 1975 when the last heir donated it to the National Park Service.
The NPS incorporated Bellefield into the neighboring Home of FDR National Historic Site. The house is used for offices now, but the formal garden is open to the public. It sits behind the Wallace Visitor Center.
The garden was designed by Beatrix Farrand in 1911. Farrand was the only female founder of the American Society of Landscape Architects. She designed the landscaping of many college campuses including Princeton and Yale.
Federal funds did not allow for proper maintenance of the garden so the Beatrix Farrand Garden Association partnered with the NPS in the 1990s to restore it. The arts and crafts style gates were restored by an Eagle Scout based on Farrand’s original plans.
Hyde Park 2024➢
- Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt NHS
- Gardens at Bellefield
- Vanderbilt Mansion NHS
Location: 4097 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, New York
Designation: National Historic Site
Date designated/established: January 15, 1944
Date of my visit: June 8, 2024
You must be logged in to post a comment.