Montgomery Place, Pt. 2

                Montgomery Place is located in the Annandale-on-Hudson historic district. Janet Livingston Montgomery purchased the land and had the manor built in the late 1770’s. She purchased the land after her husband’s death. The manor and outbuildings were finished in the early 1800’s. The most notable aspects of the estate are the gardens and the trails. The older gardens were designed by Andrew Jackson Downing, as well as the lay out of the lawns and the trails. On the southern acreage of the estate, the oldest old growth oak forest in the Hudson River valley still stands. Downing called this land “the Wilderness” for the trees and the bluffs that lead down to the Hudson River. In the north, the grounds are bordered by the Saw Kill whose waterfalls descend nearly 70 feet into the Hudson. Janet Livingston Montgomery planted apple orchards in the front of the estate, and the orchards have been kept and expanded on. They now sport nearly 60 different kinds of apples and pears as well as vegetable gardens and are sold at a farmer’s stand on the rt. 199 and rt. 9g junction.

                Over the years acreage has been added to the estate, expanding it from the 250 acres Montgomery had purchased to nearly 450 acres. There are extensive trails that provide a couple of hours of hiking all around the estate. From the back porch of the main house the Catskills can be seen bordering the Hudson on the western shore and provide a very romantic and rustic atmosphere. Some of the gardens including the herb garden and the rough garden were added in the 1920’s. The manor was redesigned with the help of Alexander Jackson Davis in the 1840s.

                In the 1980’s the estate was sold to the Historic Hudson Valley and was added to the register of Historic Places. In May 2010 the house was finally opened for public tours.