It’s the most sparkly time of the year! It’s the holiday season and the grand finale of the year of wellness at New York State Parks and Historic Sites. All year long, we’ve come together to improve all aspects of our well-being, build community, and connect to nature and history. We celebrated the holiday season the same way, with handcrafted experiences designed to bring people together to make memories without breaking the bank. Our gift to you is a look at the holiday and winter festivities at state parks and historic sites all across New York. Thank you for making us part of your year-end traditions!
Companionship with animals ties humans together throughout time. Many of the people who lived and worked at our historic sites had pets who brought them friendship and joy. In our historic collections, we have paintings and photographs of these beloved pets. How do you capture your furry or feathered friends?
Jolly Pets at John Jay Homestead
This portrait of Eleanor Kingsland Field with her pet Italian greyhound was painted in Rome when she was around fourteen years old. Eleanor’s family traveled to Italy frequently during her childhood and this portrait was commissioned during one of her trips. There is a long art history tradition of subjects being painted with their animals. In adulthood, Eleanor married John Jay II, grandson of the famous first Supreme Court Justice, and lived in the family home in Katonah that is now John Jay Homestead State Historic Site.
Eleanor Kingsland Field, Giovanni Battista Canevari, c. 1833, oil on canvas. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. John Jay Homestead State Historic Site. Gift of Westchester County, New York, JJ.1958.295.A
Olana’s Animal Companions
Frederic E. Church and his family lived at Olana State Historic Site outside of Hudson. They had many pets at the family estate, including dogs, a donkey and likely some goldfish. Two large goldfish bowls have survived in the site’s collection. Though this painting is of a goldfish pond, it is believed that Church painted one of the family goldfish from the bowl and created the natural environment around the fish. The painting now hangs in the corridor at Olana’s main house leading to Church’s studio. The family was also pictured with many of their dogs, both inside and outside the house.
Credit: Goldfish Pond, Frederic E. Church, c. 1875-1880, Oil on paper mounted to canvas, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Olana State Historic Site. Gift of Olana Preservation, Inc. and Museum Purchase. OL.1981.44.A
Credit: Group Seated on Ombra Porch with dog at their feet & Dog Running behind Olana with Carriage House in Background, Photographs, c. 1910-1920. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Olana State Historic Site. Gift of Olana Preservation, Inc., and Museum Purchase. OL.1987.442 and OL.1987.64
Lorenzo’s Furry Friends
The collection at Lorenzo State Historic Site in Cazenovia also has mementos of cherished pets. Mickey was the dog of Carver Remington, the brother of Eliphelet Remington, one of the owners of Lorenzo in the 20th century. There is a lovely formal portrait of Mickey in profile, painted by central New York artist Dwight Williams.
Credit: Mickey, Dwight Williams, c. 1886, oil on canvas. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Lorenzo State Historic Site. Museum Purchase, Founding Collection, LO.1974.511.AB
There are also informal renderings of family pets, like this drawing of Carlo. He was the pet of Ledyard Lincklaen, owner of Lorenzo from 1847 until his death in 1864. Carlo is a Newfoundland and shepherd mix. This rendering was done on April 27, 1856. We know Carlo’s breed because he was lost and Lincklaen placed an ad in the Cazenovia Republican offering “a suitable reward paid for his recover.” Thankfully, Carlo was recovered since the drawing adds “Obit April ? 1860,” marking the date of Carlo’s death.
Credit: Carlo, Ledyard Licklaen, c. April 27, 1856, graphite on paper. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Lorenzo State Historic Site. Museum Purchase, Founding Collection, LO.1976.643.30.B
Clermont’s Cherished Childhood Pets
Janet and Honoria Livingston grew up at Clermont State Historic Site in Germantown, one of the Livingston ancestral homes. Their early 20th century childhood was captured in many family photo albums (as seen in a recent blog post on historic costumes). Their pets were frequently included. Their English bloodhound, Rufus, was especially treasured, and features in many photographs. The family also had horses, a pony, rabbits and a peacock named Solomon.
Credit: Solomon the Peacock,Janet and Honoria with Rabbits in Winter, Janet and Honoria Livingston with Rufus, Photographs in Album, c. 1915. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Clermont State Historic Site. Gift of Honoria Livingston McVitty, CL.2000.211.13.F, .12.E, and .16.A
— Written and developed by Amanda Massie, Senior Curator, Bureau of Historic Sites
Centuries of holiday traditions to experience. A park that’s only open one season a year. Meteor showers overhead, tracks through the snow, and miles of trails to enjoy in a whole different way.
Winter fun is everywhere at state parks and historic sites! Below are ten activities we suggest you experience this season.
The heart of winter: the ski lodge at Fahnestock Winter Park in the Hudson Valley.
1. Visit Fahnestock Winter Park.Celebrate the spirit of winter at the only park in our system devoted exclusively to the season. At Fahnestock, you’ll discover 20 kilometers of machine-groomed cross-country ski trails, an extensive network of blazed snowshoeing trails, and sledding and tubing. Fuel up at the concession stand and unwind by the fire pit with your fellow winter lovers for the full seasonal experience! No gear? No problem! You can rent equipment for skate and classic skiing, as well as snowshoes, sledding tubes, and tow-behind baby pulks. Check conditions before you go.
Is there a greater source of inspiration than nature? The natural world has inspired great works of art in every genre and style from cave paintings to classical sculpture, lyric poetry to hit movies, orchestral works to electronic soundscapes. Landscape architecture takes this process one step further, in which nature becomes the art. A landscape architect studies for years to learn the art, science and craft of working with plants and trees to make an artistic statement that complements both the natural surroundings and the architecture and meets the needs of their client.
New York State Parks and Historic Sites preserves many remarkable landscapes. As National Garden Week draws to a close, discover iconic landscapes at our historic sites and the fascinating stories behind them.
Black History Month is drawing to a close. But at the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, research into New York’s Black history is continuous. From the 1627 arrival of the first 22 enslaved African men to the 1827 abolition of slavery in New York and into the future, Black history is the history of New York and of the United States. This is a cornerstone principle of ‘Our Whole History,’ a Parks initiative launched several years ago to thoroughly research and share the stories of New York State from the points of view of all who lived it.
As research continues, a more complete picture of the past emerges. The stories of the Black New Yorkers who contributed so much to New York’s history are revealed through painstaking, detail-oriented research. Key caretakers, highly skilled laborers, folks who contributed to a smooth-running household become clearer.
To piece together their stories, our dedicated historians conduct archaeology, study physical objects, and delve deep into records of all kinds: account ledgers of both homes and businesses; census data; estate inventories; wills; letters and journals; city directories; diaries, and more.
Several of our historians shared with us the stories of Black figures who shaped the history of their sites.
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