Saint-Gaudens NHS Landscape: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

Killion, Jeff

The 190.75‑acre Saint‑Gaudens National Historic Site (NHS) is located within the Town of Cornish, in Sullivan County, New Hampshire. The park preserves and interprets properties associated with Augustus Saint‑Gaudens (1848‑1907), America’s foremost sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Saint‑Gaudens NHS is set in a countryside of dispersed farms, fields, and woodlots that are spread across the hills of the Connecticut River valley. The surrounding landscape retains the rural character that attracted and inspired Saint‑Gaudens and other artists associated with the famous Cornish Colony. The only national park site in New Hampshire, it is one of only two in the national park system dedicated to a visual artist. The Saint‑Gaudens NHS Landscape is comprised of four component landscapes situated along the east bank of the river and extending eastward across State Route 12A. Saint‑Gaudens’s home and studios, named Aspet, forms the core of the park and consists of 101.65 acres of meadow and woodland that frame pristine views of Mt. Ascutney in Vermont. Aspet is accessed by Saint Gaudens Road, which originates at SR 12A, and contains a cluster of buildings used by Saint‑Gaudens during his occupancy that are set within a garden landscape. To the west are the 42.6‑acre Blow‑Me‑Down Farm and the 40‑acre Blow‑Me‑Down Mill, part of the seasonal estate of Charles Cotesworth Beaman Jr., who with Saint‑Gaudens established the Cornish Colony. To the east is the 6.5‑acre Saint‑Gaudens Farm property, purchased by Augustus Saint‑Gaudens and his wife, Augusta, between 1904 and 1910. Aspet: Set in an open landscape that offers views to distant Mount Ascutney, the main house and studios of Augustus Saint‑Gaudens are surrounded by a series of garden rooms defined by distinctive evergreen hedges, including a formal perennial garden and a birch grove. The classically‑inspired landscape designed by Saint‑Gaudens during his twenty‑two year residence is representative of a popular design style from the turn‑of‑the‑twentieth century. Several prominent sculptural works of Augustus Saint‑Gaudens are on display in the landscape. Blow‑Me‑Down Farm: Formerly owned by two generations of the Beaman family beginning in 1882, this farm property still retains its rural setting that was enjoyed by Saint‑Gaudens and other members of the Cornish Colony. A system of gravel driveways extend from the highway and loop amongst the farm buildings informally arranged on the eastern part of the property. The original mansion here burned in 1926, but a residence that was formerly a casino and the dance hall building remain, as do a historic cottage and garage, a large bank barn, and other outbuildings that together contributed to Beaman’s rustic vision for his gentleman’s farm. Fields in the south and west areas of the property slope down to the river and are still cultivated, and comprise the foreground of scenic views of the valley and the distant mountains that inspired the colony’s artists and Beaman’s many visitors. Blow‑Me‑Down Mill: This property includes the late‑nineteenth‑century built features of the Blow‑Me‑Down Mill and dam, the stone arch bridge, a mill pond, and several acres of natural wetland situated along the Blow‑Me‑Down Brook and surrounded by forest vegetation. State Route 12A travels along the west side of the property, providing views to the wetland and mill building to passing motorists. Saint‑Gaudens Farm: The Saint‑Gaudens Farm property is situated on the south side of Saint Gaudens Road, less than a quarter mile uphill from Aspet. It includes a farmhouse, large barn complex, two‑car garage, and a small pond and stream. The property also features hay fields that extend beyond the parcel to the east, providing open views to adjacent farmland.

Saint-Gaudens NHS Landscape: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

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