Seton Village is a
National Historic Landmark District
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
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in a rural residential area south of
Santa Fe in
Santa Fe County
Santa Fe County ( es, Condado de Santa Fe; meaning ''Holy faith'' in Spanish) is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 144,170, making it New Mexico's third-most populous county, after Bernalillo Cou ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, United States. It encompasses a residential settlement and educational facility established in 1930 by
Ernest Thompson Seton
Ernest Thompson Seton (born Ernest Evan Thompson August 14, 1860 – October 23, 1946) was an English-born Canadian-American author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 (renamed Woodcraft League of America), and one of ...
(1860-1946), an educator and conservationist best known as a founder of the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
. The district includes the remains of Seton's 32-room home and other residential and educational buildings constructed mostly between 1930 and 1945. It was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1965.
[ and ]
Description
Seton Village is located approximately south of downtown
Santa Fe and west of
Interstate 25
Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexic ...
on County Road 58. The village has a central plaza, ringed by adobe residences and community buildings. To the east of the plaza stand the remains of Seton's 32-room castle, which burned during restoration in 2005. Distinctive structures in the village include two buildings that were built around railroad cars that Seton brought to the site. Stripped of their interiors, the two cars were finished plaster on the inside, and had adobe walls built around them. One of these buildings has since had the car removed from its inside.
Seton Castle
![Christmas luminarios at Seton Village](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Christmas_luminarios_at_Seton_Village.jpg)
Seton began designing and building his castle in 1933. The 32-room, 6,900 square foot (640 m
2) multi-level building had a flat-roof and rough hewn stone wall exterior. The interior had oak floors and plaster walls with the ceilings supported by log rafters. The Castle was built on one of the highest points on Seton's property, with views over his village and the western landscape.
Community activities
![Seton Castle, at Seton Village, New Mexico by David L](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Seton_Castle%2C_at_Seton_Village%2C_New_Mexico_by_David_L._Witt.JPG)
The Village was home to the Seton Institute, including the
Woodcraft League and the College of Indian Wisdom, which provided Woodcraft and
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
leaders with a variety of training opportunities. The Institute closed at the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
At Seton's invitation, Maurice and Marceil Taylor moved their printing equipment to New Mexico in 1938 and set up the Seton Village Press. The Village Press closed in 1943, also because of the war.
Seton Village today
Seton Village is designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
and a New Mexico State Cultural Property. The
Academy for the Love of Learning The Academy for the Love of Learning is a non-profit organization conceived by American composers Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Stern. The Academy was incorporated as a 501(c)3 in 1998. Its campus is located in southeast Santa Fe, NM, on the former e ...
, an educational organization which owns the property, preserved the castle ruins as a "contemplative garden." The Academy's Seton Legacy Project maintains a collection of art and archives pertaining to Ernest Thompson Seton. The Academy Campus, including the Seton art gallery, opened in 2011.
[Sharpe, Tom]
"Seton Castle: An academy rises from the ruins"
''The Santa Fe New Mexican
''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' or simply ''The New Mexican'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dubbed "the West's oldest newspaper," its first issue was printed on November 28, 1849.
Background
The downtown offices for ''T ...
'', Santa Fe, NM, 10 October 2010. Retrieved on 01 November 2012.
The village has a view of the
Jemez Mountains
The Jemez Mountains are a group of mountains in Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Los Alamos counties, New Mexico, United States.
Numerous Puebloan Indian tribes have lived in the Jemez Mountains region since before the Spanish arrived in New Mexico. T ...
and
Mount Taylor.
Education
It is within
Santa Fe Public Schools
Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS) is a school district based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe Public Schools serves the city of Santa Fe, the communities of Tesuque and Eldorado, and the historic neighborhood of Agua Fria, and other communities ...
.
See also
*
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico
This is a complete List of National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico. New Mexico has 46 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs), including Raton Pass which is shared with Colorado, and listed by the National Park Service as in that state.
Current NH ...
References
External links
*
Academy for the Love of LearningSeton Village site at the NPSErnest Thompson Seton Institute* http://www.stateparks.com/seton_village.html
{{authority control
National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico
Geography of Santa Fe County, New Mexico
History of Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Historic American Buildings Survey in New Mexico
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico
National Register of Historic Places in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Unincorporated communities in Santa Fe County, New Mexico
National Register of Historic Places in Santa Fe County, New Mexico
Unincorporated communities in New Mexico