And not the contrived, perfectly-staged “time” you visit in museums. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I like the places that time forgot. The places that still might harbor a discarded bottle or watering can or fork. The places that have peeling paint, an old chair in the corner, and old curtains covering broken windows. And maybe even a few ghosts.
I also feel a sense of urgency to visit and photograph such places, because as these forgotten structures fall into ruin, hope of restoration quickly fades. Our local history is getting razed every day in the name of safety and progress.
I like to know as much as I can about a place before I go exploring, so I do a lot of research before I head out. While perusing one of my favorite internet sites, Hudson Valley Ruins, I came upon my next mission: The Cornish Estate.
On a wet day this past March I was on my way to find the ruins of the former estate of Edward Cornish. Not much is known about this place, although hikers pass it daily on the trails of Hudson Highlands State Park in the village of Cold Spring, New York
If not for the heavy spring rains, it would have been a fairly easy ascent up the long driveway along the side of the mountain. But on this day swelling streams overwhelmed their normal courses down the hillside and criss-crossed the path, making large puddles full of swirling pine needles, twigs, and leaves. Fallen branches littered the path. No matter – I’d worn my waterproof boots. All part of the adventure…
According to Rob Yasinsac of Hudson Valley Ruins, Edward Joel Cornish and his wife Selina Bliss Carter Cornish both died in May of 1938, and their vast estate, which included a mansion, barn, greenhouse, swimming pool and several outbuildings, has been abandoned ever since. Records show that a fire destroyed the mansion in 1956, although the stone structures of the mansion and outbuildings still remain.
So I was hiking up a long path through misty rain to find them. My camera was in a Ziploc bag I found in the car. Hopefully the heavy rain would hold off…
Before long I spotted the stone archways of the porte-cochère in the distance. I had arrived.
Vines covered every inch of the stonework. I wonder how visible the ruins would be in the middle of summer?
All that remained of the mansion were the stone archways that were once windows and doorways…
And the stone fireplaces and chimneys that sprouted up through the middle of the structure...
I like this narrow little window, located near the front door:
Another doorway:
In the back part of the mansion, the windows and doorways are squared off, not arched. I wonder if this part of the house was an addition to the original? The stonework here looks different as well.
This area was full of mountain laurel, evoking a feeling of an enchanted garden.
And another doorway… I love how the view is out into a wild forest! It makes it look like something out of a fairy tale, as if walking through this portal will transport me to a magical land…
This is actually a composed image, looking into the window of the greenhouse but with the view of the driveway photoshopped in. I know, I know… it’s not historically accurate, but I thought it made for a pretty picture ;)
As I headed up the trail in search of the barn and the fields where the Cornishes once raised prized dairy cows, the rain started to pick up, threatening a cold spring downpour. My camera went back into the Ziploc bag, and I headed back down the trail.
The rest would have to wait for a future adventure.
But there’s more to this story…
While on a boat to Bannerman’s Island (which will be the subject of my next post), I started chatting with Thom Johnson, co-author of a book on the history of the island. He had exciting news: Early photographs of the Cornish Estate had surfaced in April of this year! Follow this link to see historic images of the Cornish mansion.
It is not at all the way I thought it would look! I guess there is still more to learn about this beautiful place, and I look forward to reading the book that I’m hoping is in development….
History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. ~Winston Churchill
All photos above are for sale!
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