Boscobel
MID HUDSON
Boscobel
1601 Route 9D
Garrison, NY
Hours: Open April through October: 9:30-5:30; November & December: 9:30-4:00. Admission is $10.00 for adults, children $7.00 and Seniors $9.00. Closed Tuesdays.
Notes: Group tours available by reservation only. Christmas Candlelight Tours and other special events are held seasonally.
Phone: (845) 265-3638
Fax: (845) 265-4405
Historical Description:
Boscobel is an elegant, neo-classical mansion sited high above the Hudson River in the Hudson Highlands approximately fifty miles north of New York City. Boscobel was originally located in Montrose, New York, about fifteen miles south of its present site. It was built by States Morris Dyckman (1755-1806), a descendant of one of the early Dutch families of New Amsterdam and a loyalist in the American
Revolution. Construction of Boscobel began in the summer of 1804. Sadly, Dyckman became sick and died in August of 1806 leaving only the foundation for the new house completed. Dyckman’s widow, Elizabeth Corne (1776-1823), finished the project and moved into the elegant residence in 1808 with their only surviving child, Peter Corne Dyckman (1796-1824). Although no architect has been identified for the building, it has long been recognized an outstanding example of Federal domestic architecture in America. The house was almost destroyed during the 1950s when it was declared "excess" by the federal government and sold at auction to a demolition contractor for the sum of $35. The government had recently completed the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Veterans Administration Hospital on the original site in Montrose, New York, and could not find a suitable use for the building. With the strong personal interest and financial backing of Lila Acheson Wallace, co-founder of the Reader’s Digest, Boscobel was fully restored and opened to the public in 1961.
The Site:
Today, Boscobel is considered one of the nation’s leading historic house museums. Throughout the year, Boscobel provides guided tours, lectures, special events, workshops, and other unique programs.
Boscobel’s annual Candlelight Tours held in December are considered one of the Hudson Valley’s loveliest traditions. During the summer, the property is proud to be the site of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, which presents two plays each year under a large tent on the front lawn. The site offers neoclassical architecture, artwork, original artifacts, fountains, gardens, orchards, extensive walkways, and a museum shop.
Directions:
NY Thruway to I-84 to 9D south to Boscobel, or Taconic Parkway to Route 301 to Cold Spring traffic light, left on Route 9D.
