Locust Grove

Locust Grove was the home of Samuel F. B. Morse and is a National Historic Landmark. It consists of 150 acres with over 3 miles of hiking trails. Within the property is the Annette Innis Young Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary, which houses various forms of wildlife such as ducks, heron, warblers, finches, vieros, thrushes, deer, squirrels, rabbits, opossums, foxes and coyotes.


Locust Grove is located directly off Route 9 in Poughkeepsie, two miles south of the Mid-Hudson Bridge. If you are coming from Hyde Park, the home will be on your right. The entrance is located next to a traffic light. The park is open from 8am to dusk year-round. Make sure to note as well that NO DOGS are allowed on the park grounds.


After parking, proceed into the Visitor's Center. This is open from 10am to 5pm, from May through November. Directly inside the entrance, you will notice a wall filled with pamphlets. Of particular interest are the two maps of the park that are available. One is the Self-Guided Tour, which is particularly helpful in identifying man-made points of interest. The Trail Guide & Suggested Walking Routes is much more valuable when walking through the trails within the Sanctuary.


Located within the Visitor's Center is the Morse Gallery, which includes photos, paintings by Morse, telegraph equipment (including a play version), and other memorabilia. Admission to the exhibit gallery, which also includes a video, is $5 for visitors over 18. A gift shop is also located in the Visitor's Center.


Tours of the mansion, available from 10am to 3pm from May through November, begin at the Visitor's Center and last about 90 minutes. They cost $9 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 18. This fee also includes admission to the Morse exhibit and the orientation video.

The home was originally occupied by John and Isabella Montgomery, who built the home in 1830 after acquiring the land from the previous owners, the Livingstons. The Montgomerys sold the estate to Morse in 1847. The house was originally a Federal-style home, but Morse employed the help of architect Alexander Jackson Davis to develop Locust Grove into a Tuscan villa. William and Martha Young purchased the home from the Morse family in 1901, after renting it as a summer home for five years. They added an additional wing to the estate.

I took the tour of the mansion some years ago, and remember being very disappointed. Because the home was owned by the Youngs after Morse's death, how the interior actually looked during his residence is for the most part unknown. Further, many of the furnishings were either taken by the Morse family or were sold. The home is therefore more of an exhibit of the Youngs' home than that of Morse.


After you have finished exploring the Visitor's Center, head out the back door and to your right, toward the main gardens and the Gardener's Cottage. The cottage was built in 1880 by Samuel Morse's son, William. The layout of the garden was designed by the Youngs. It has a variety of flowers, including peonies and roses, and lovely archways.


Take your first left and follow along the edge of the garden. A grassy area to your left will allow you to cut through the gardens and underneath an archway to reach the Tool House beyond. To the right of the Tool House you can also see the Greenery. Beyond the Tool House is the Vegetable Garden, within which you can take a stroll. Additional information about this garden can be found in the pamphlet entitled Heritage Vegetable Garden, located inside the Visitor's Center.


After touring the gardens, head back to the straight path in front of the Gardener's Cottage and follow it as it heads towards the house. If you head underneath the porte-cochere of the home, you will be able to view an old carriage and examine the dog statues to each side of the staircase. Continue on the path to the left of the house, and it will pass the Geometric Garden. Here flowers were planted to form circular patterns.


Past the Geometric Garden, follow the path to the left as it takes a rectangular course around the back lawn of the house. You will shortly pass a small statue on your left, which looks to be of George Washington. There is no information about it in the park literature.

Further along the trail you will come to a bench, from where you can get a view of the Hudson and the rolling hills in-between. Continue along the path and you will come to a cluster of buildings. The first building you will approach is the Carriage House, which now houses a restroom for visitors. This structure was most likely build by the first owners of the homestead, the Montgomerys. The side barn was later added by the Youngs. A pony shed and ice house are also located in this area.


Continue along the path past the buildings, and then take the trail to your left which slopes back and downhill. This is the start of the Lane Loop, a 1.2 mile trail and the main connection to all of the other trails in the park. If you don't have a trail map yet, you can pick up one from the information kiosk at the start of this trail.


A short way up this trail you will pass a pet cemetery, home to some of the Young family pets. Next to this is a picnic area (because I like to relax and have a sandwich next to a cemetery, don't you?). Follow this dirt path down the hill, and you'll come to another pet cemetery on your right. You will see a deer fence ahead of you. Head through the unlocked portion of the gate to enter the Wildlife Sanctuary and major portion of the trails.


Take the trail to the right; you will circle back around to this point. Follow the trail as it heads downhill, and enjoy the sounds of the small stream next to the path which follows your descent. You will soon come upon a barn next to a large open meadow. This barn was built by the Montgomerys, and then expanded by the Morse and Young families. Remnants of gates and fences from the old farm complex, which included a farmhouse, paddock and pasture, can also be found in the vicinity.


Continue down the hill, passing alongside stone walls, until you reach a crossroads. To your right is the Copper Mine Ridge Trail, a .3 mile trail which takes you through marshes and ends with climbes of the Hudson River and Blue Point (on the opposite shore). This trail used to be a road adjoining Locust Grove and two neighboring estates: Edgehill and Southwood. You can either take this trail or continue straight along Lane Loop. I suggest you do the former, as it is a more scenic route.


Shortly along the Copper Mine Trail you may notice a path headed uphill on your right. This trail meanders through the woods and up to a gate at the edge of the adjoining private property. It offers no scenic views, and you will be unable to proceed further due to the gate.


Near the end of Copper Mine Trail, another path will branch off to the right. This is the Sunfish Cove Trail. It is a .2 mile (one way) trail that follows the edge of Sunfish Cove. The trailguide's mention that "portions of this trail are narrow or near cliff edges" is a gross understatement. Although the beginning of the trail starts off easy enough, and is in fact rather wide, it soon begins to narrow significantly and take sharp inclines along the edge of the cliff. Additionally, since there are no trail markers, it is hard to distinguish where the man-made trail ends and animal trails begin. If you choose to take this trail, I would suggest turning around as soon as the trail begins to narrow. There is not much to gain from continuing on.


Returning to Copper Mine Trail, continue on until you reach Lane Loop again. Head straight along this trail until it forks. To the right is the Saw Mill Trail. Just like with the Copper Mine, you can remain on the Lane Loop (which is an easier stroll) or take the side trail. If you head along the Saw Mill Trail, you'll shortly come to the crest of a hill which overlooks the Hudson River and has a view of the Mid-Hudson Bridge.


To continue on this trail, head behind the bench and down the gentle downhill slope beyond. Do not continue to the left of the bench and down the steep hill. It is a difficult descent, and there is no trail to follow at its base.


Towards the end of this .2 mile long trail, you will come to the site of Henry Livingston, Jr.'s sawmill. An interpretive sign points of where it used to stand. Follow the rail as it passes alongside a ravine and meets up with the Lane Loop again.


Follow the Lane Loop about .1 miles until the trail forks. Head to your left along the Lakeside Trail and enjoy the views of Oak Lake. This man-made body of water was created by the Youngs in 1900 for swimming and boating, as well as for harvesting ice in the winter. You will also get a view of the house up on the hill.


When the trail forks again, stay alongside the lake by heading over the small wooden bridge and joining the Cascade Trail. (Staying on the Lakeside Trail will bring you very shortly to the start of the Copper Mine Trail.) The Cascade Trail, a .1 mile stroll, follows along a stream that forms a small waterfall. This was a favorite spot of Samuel Morse.


When you come to an intersection, go to the right along Lane Loop. You will shortly see the Ravine Trail on your left. This .3 mile trail leads through groves of hemlock and flowering dogwood at the edge of a ravine. It will also take you to Hemlock Trail, a .1 mile trail which takes you closer to the ravine. You can either take this horseshoe shaped trail to your right, or continue along the Ravine Trail. Towards the end of the Ravine Trail, you will pass alongside a wetland.


At the end of this trail, you can choose to either head to your left along the Lane Loops Spur and continue back up the hill along the Lane Loop Trail, or you can go right along the slightly longer Eagle Trail. The Eagle Trail was constructed by Eagle Scouts, and follows along the foot of the bluff. This .4 mile trail passes underneath oak and tulip trees, and heads over four flat bridges erected over the streams which flow down the hill.


Back on the Lane Loop, follow the trail uphill and back to the deer fence at the entrance to the sanctuary. Once through, you can either choose to stay on the Lane Loop and return to the top of the hill, or follow the Grade Road Trail to your left. This .2 mile trail passes alongside the neighboring private home and carriage house. It follows the bottom of a ravine amongst tall tulip trees and ends near an old entrance to the park. You have now seen all of the grounds at Locust Grove and can return to your car, or to the museum shop.


Despite living in this area all of my life, and passing the home many times every week, I had never toured the trails. I was immensely impressed by their beauty, the rugged yet well maintained aspect of the pathways, and the abundance of wildlife. Walking amongst the towering treetops, which set the forest floor into deep shadow; listening to the variety of bird calls reverberating throughout the woods; being startled by the frantic chipmunk darting across the trail; unexpectedly approaching a raccoon; being followed by a curious deer - all made the experience immensely enjoyable.


Three criticisms I have for this park only, and very minor ones. The first is the abominable Sunfish Cove Trail, which either needs to be given some trail markers or the path needs to be made more recognizable. The second is the NO DOG rule, that although is completely reasonable due to the development of a wildlife sanctuary, should be put somewhere on their website to notify visitors prior to coming. Thirdly, although both maps are greatly detailed and helpful in their own right, they should somehow be incorporated into one in order to present a coherent message. All-in-all, however, I am very excited to have found another enjoyable park in the area near the ranks of Vanderbilt and Olana.


If you'd like to learn more about Locust Grove, please go to http://www.morsehistoricsite.org/index.html. Relaxing Rambling!