Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park

Trip Day:	97	Latitude:	42°09.33 ' N	Locks Today:	0
Miles Today:	24	Longitude:	073°54.10' W	Locks Total:	8
Total Miles:	1,897	Location:	Duck Cove,  NY

This section of the Hudson is known as the “Great Estate Region” where the powerful multi-millionaires of the 1800s and 1900s built summer   estates.  We took the dinghy ashore and walked about a mile up the hill to the Vanderbilt Mansion which was donated in 1940 with 211 acres of beautiful trees and gardens and is now part of the National Park  Service.  Frederick Vanderbilt, son of Cornelius  Vanderbilt, both richest men in American in their time, bought the 600 acre property in Hyde Park in 1895 for $125,000.  This is the smallest of the Vanderbilt’s 10 homes, with 50 rooms and 50,000 sq ft including the basements.  It was the first home in the town of Hyde Park to have electricity, which was generated by a hydroelectric power plant located on Crum Elbow Creek that runs through the property.  The Vanderbilts used this home for a few weeks in the spring and autumn, spending their summers at Newport and the winter social season at their New York City townhouse.

Couples and single women would stay in one of the 13 guest bedrooms in the main house while single gentlemen would be accomodated in a separate guest house which now serves as the visitor's center.  Guest arrived by boat or rail, the estate had its own dock and station.

The furnishings are European from the green Italian marble columns, the carved ceilings in the dining room and the fireplace mantles with the Medici coat of arms and papal hat.  A team of carvers from Switzerland were brought over to carve the panels in Frederick’s bedroom.  A extensive collection of tapestries still hang in the mansion.

We continued to enjoy the scenery of the Hudson River with new vistas unfolding as we rounded each bend.  With all the trees, this area must be magnificent in the fall!

This section of the Hudson also showcased proud old Lighthouses that  have served mariners for centuries. 

L: The Esopus Meadows Lighthouse was built in 1871 to warn mariners of the mud flats known as the Esopus Meadows. 

 The Roundout Creek Leading Light, near Kingston,  was built in 1915, replacing an earlier 1867 lighthouse. 

 

The Saugherties Lighthouse is an 1869  landmark beacon on the Hudson.  It is now used as a B & B—photo of parlor at right.  The website is taking reservations for 2013-hurry!

It rained lightly most of the morning while we visited the Vanderbilt Estate, but when we weighed anchor at 1:00 the rain had ceased and the current was with us.  We have been dodging logs, known as deadheads by boaters, for the past several days.  Easy task if the logs are fully floating, but pretty risky for the ones that are partially submerged!

 Our anchorage for the night is Duck Cove, which is out of the current, beautiful and peaceful.  There is one other boat anchored here, which   happens to be another Gemini!