Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve

Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
Winter Cottage at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve is located in New York
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
Location of Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve within New York State
TypeState park
Location25 Lloyd Harbor Road
Lloyd Harbor, New York[1]
Coordinates40°55′39″N 73°28′18″W / 40.92750°N 73.47167°W / 40.92750; -73.47167
Area1,520 acres (6.2 km2)[2]
Created1961 (1961)[3]
Operated byNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors460,254 (in 2014)[4]
OpenAll year
WebsiteCaumsett State Historic Park Preserve
Marshall Field, III, Estate
Caumsett Hall in 2009
Coordinates40°55′39″N 73°28′18″W / 40.92750°N 73.47167°W / 40.92750; -73.47167
Built1925
ArchitectPope, John Russell; Holden, McLaughlin & Associates
Architectural styleEnglish Revival
NRHP reference No.79001633[5]
Added to NRHPApril 30, 1979

Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve is a state park on Lloyd Neck, a peninsula extending into the Long Island Sound, in the Village of Lloyd Harbor, New York, United States.[6][7] It is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The 1,520-acre (6.2 km2) park[2] covers the former Marshall Field III estate that was developed in the 1920s, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Much of the park is today managed as a nature preserve, with a focus on protecting high-quality bird habitat.

History

View of Long Island Sound from the park

Marshall Field III bought the property in 1921 and had an estate house built in 1925, one of the largest estates of the Gold Coast mansions.[8] Field named the property "Caumsett", after the Matinecock tribe's original name for the peninsula meaning "place by a sharp rock".[1][9]

The 1,426-acre (5.77 km2) Marshall Field III estate was purchased by New York State for $4 million on February 3, 1961, and became a state park.[3] The former estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[5]

In May 1961, plans were made to create Caumsett State Parkway, a northern extension of Bethpage State Parkway, to provide access to the park.[10] Although right-of-way was acquired, the parkway was never built.[11] A portion of this land was later used to create Cold Spring Harbor State Park and Trail View State Park.

Park description

A path through the woods at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve

The historic buildings within Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve are used for a variety of activities; former polo barns are used for equestrian education and services, while other buildings host environmental education programs and the Lloyd Harbor Historical Society.[1]

Much of the remainder of the park is maintained as a nature preserve, with a focus on conservation of bird habitat. The "Caumsett Bird Conservation Area" was established in 2006 and comprises approximately 1,255 acres (5.08 km2) of the state park, two-thirds of which is forested. The remainder includes a variety of habitats, such as salt marsh and maritime beach. The designated area protects high-quality habitat that supports breeding populations of several species listed as threatened or endangered in New York State, including piping plovers, common terns, and least terns; many additional migratory species also make use of the protected landscape.[12]

The park allows for recreation such as horse-riding, fishing, jogging, hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing. Scuba diving is also allowed by permit.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook. The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. Table O-9. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "STATE PARK UNIT BUYS L.I. ESTATE; 1,426-Acre Marshall Field Property at Lloyds Neck Sold for 4 Million". The New York Times. February 4, 1961. p. 21. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  4. ^ "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003". Data.ny.gov. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  6. ^ Suffolk County Atlas, Hagstrom Map Company, Inc., 1987 Ed., p. 1
  7. ^ "Final Master Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement For Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve - Executive Summary" (PDF). NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. June 2, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 30, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Karen Morey (January 5, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Marshall Field, III, Estate (Caumsett) / Caumsett State Park". Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2008. and Accompanying 16 photos, exterior and interior, from 1975 and 1976 Archived February 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Tooker, William Wallace (1911). The Indian Place-names on Long Island and Islands Adjacent: With Their Probable Significations. G.P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 37–38. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  10. ^ "PARKWAY TO LEAD TO NEW L.I. PARK; Proposed Route to Service Former Field Estate". The New York Times. May 21, 1961. p. 46. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  11. ^ Cerra, Frances (January 18, 1987). "Blazing a New Trail in the Wilds of Nassau". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  12. ^ "Caumsett BCA Management Guidance Summary". Dec.ny.gov. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve.