Cedar Grove in Thomas Cole's Time

Cedar Grove in Thomas Cole's Time. . , Thomas Cole's home, known then as Cedar Grove, was a farm of about 110 acres. On the farm were various livestock including oxen, horses, cattle, pigs, and chickens. The land was also filled with vegetable and grain crops, orchards, vineyards, and groves of trees. On the drawing below, the yellow area indicates the extent of Cedar Grove during Cole's lifetime. Today's Route 23 and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge are shown in dashed lines cutting diagonally across the original farmland., [Captions:] , Main House , Built in 1815. Thomas Cole took up residence here in 1836. , Charles Herbert Moore, Thomas Cole's Cedar Grove, 1868. Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Gift of the Florence Cole Vincent Estate, Farm Yard , Photograph of chickens on the path between the chicken house and the Old Studio building, c. 1890s. The chickens are pecking near the site of this sign., Old Studio , Built as a storehouse for the farm operations in 1839, a portion was used by Thomas Cole as a studio. , Charles Herbert Moore, Thomas Cole's Studio, undated. Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Gift of Lynne Hill Bohnsack., Riverfront , During Thomas Cole's time, this property extended east all the way to the banks of the Hudson River. Cole's descendants developed this riverfront property as a picnic area. The Cole family finally sold off the river frontage in 1901. , A sketch by Thomas Cole looking southeast from Cedar Grove. Long Dock, Catskill Landing on the Hudson River, 1847. Albany Institute of History and Art., Cottage , Thomas Cole rented this c. 1797 farmhouse from 1833 to 1836, both as a living space and studio. The Cottage was demolished in the 1960s, and the site is now occupied by Temple Israel. , View of the cottage from Spring Street, 1933., Orchards , In 1817, the owner of Cedar Grove, John Thomson, purchased nearly 60 orchard trees, thus beginning a thriving business in fruit growing, including apple, plum, peach, pear, and cherry trees. Large barns supporting the orchard were located along Spring Street, near the corner of present-day Routes 23 and 385. , Photograph of the orchard west of Spring Street, c. 1900, New Studio , Designed by Thomas Cole and built in 1846, this space served as Cole's painting studio for just 18 months; Cole died unexpectedly in 1848. The building was demolished in 1973, and reconstructed in 2015. , Photograph of the New Studio with Thomas Cole's daughter Emily c. 1900.