Poets' Walk is located in
Red Hook, New York
Red Hook is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 9,953 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 11,319 in 2010. The name is supposedly derived from the red foliage on trees on a small strip of land on the Hu ...
, United States on the River Road (just north of the
Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge,
New York State Route 199
New York State Route199 (NY199) is a state highway located in the Hudson Valley of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Its western end is in Ulster County, New York, Ulster County, where it begins as the continuation of the short U.S. R ...
). It is intended to celebrate the connection between
landscape
A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
and
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
. The classic wooden vistas, sunlit fields and thick forest were the main focus of
landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...
Hans Jacob Ehlers' vision for the property in 1849.
Description
The park's mown and gravel paths are variously lined with wooden benches, and provide access to the of fields and forest, as well as river views. The park's walls of foliage and stone evoke outdoor "rooms" that reflect the 1849 landscape aims of Ehlers.
The distance from the Information Arbor at the beginning of the path to the Overlook Pavilion is about half a mile, and at a leisurely pace takes the average walker about 15 minutes. The return trip is slightly uphill and a bit longer. From the Pavilion to the Summerhouse (via the Poets' Walk Path) is an additional 20 minutes (one way), and from the Pavilion to the Flagpole is also 20 minutes (one way).
History
The Poet's Walk Park property was originally part of an 1688 land grant to Colonel
Pieter Schuyler
Pieter Schuyler (17 September 1657 – 19 February 1724) was the first mayor of Albany, New York. A long-serving member of the executive council of the Province of New York, he acted as governor of the Province of New York on three occasions ...
of Albany.
Around 1800, General
John Armstrong Jr.
John Armstrong Jr. (November 25, 1758April 1, 1843) was an American soldier, diplomat and statesman who was a delegate to the Continental Congress, U.S. Senator from New York, and United States Secretary of War under President James Madison. A me ...
, who was married to Alida Livingston, daughter of
Judge Robert Livingston (1718–1775) and Margaret (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Beekman) Livingston of
Clermont, sold his farm/estate of "Almont". For the next ten years, Armstrong served first in Congress as a Senator from New York, then as Minister to France. Around 1811, he established an estate a little farther north in
Barrytown. The Armstrongs called the estate ''La Bergerie''. Here they raised Merino sheep, which had been given to Armstrong by Napoleon. In 1818, their daughter, Margaret, married
William Backhouse Astor Sr. Around 1835, Astor purchased the 728-acre estate for a summer home; Margaret Astor renamed it
"Rokeby".
In September 1844, their daughter, Laura Eugenia Astor, married merchant/financier
Franklin Hughes Delano
Franklin Hughes Delano (July 27, 1813 – December 23, 1893) was an American merchant, diplomat and society man.
Early life
Delano was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts on July 27, 1813 and grew up in Fairhaven. He was a son of Captain Warren Del ...
. As a wedding present, William Astor gave the couple the southernmost 100 acres of "Rokeby". The estate became known as "Steen Valetje" (which means "little stone valley" in Dutch).
In 1849, the Astors and the Delanos commissioned German born landscape gardener Hans Jacob Ehlers to improve the grounds at "Rokeby" and "Steen Valetje", in the course of which he constructed a woodland path called the "Poet's Walk" in honor of
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
and
Fitz-Greene Halleck
Fitz-Greene Halleck (July 8, 1790 – November 19, 1867) was an American poet and member of the Knickerbocker Group. Born and raised in Guilford, Connecticut, he went to New York City at the age of 20, and lived and worked there for nearly fo ...
who are said to have strolled there.
The park has been visited by many literary figures, including
William Cullen Bryant
William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 – June 12, 1878) was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the ''New York Evening Post''. Born in Massachusetts, he started his career as a lawyer but showed an interest in poetry ...
(1794–1878) and
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation.
Of French-Canadian a ...
(1922-1969).
Today, the visual integrity of the Park and its setting is protected by the
Scenic Hudson Land Trust's conservation easements on the surrounding . The park is open from 9am until dusk (6pm in winter, 8pm during summer). Scenic Hudson retained Optimus Architecture to design both the information kiosk at the trailhead and the rustic Overlook Pavilion, where visitors will find the best scenic views in the park. The project received a design award from the New York Chapter of the Society of American Registered Architects.
"Poet’s Walk Park", Optimus Architecture
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See also
References
External links
Poet's Walk Park website
Poets' Walk Romantic Landscape Park
Photos
{{coord, 41.981910, N, 73.917063, W, display=title
New York (state) culture
American poetry
Parks in Dutchess County, New York
Parks on the Hudson River
Red Hook, New York