Thomas Cole National Historic Site
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
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Thomas Cole National Historic Site

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Thomas Cole National Historic Site

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site, also known as Cedar Grove, is a National Historic Landmark that includes the home and the studio of painter Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of American painting. It is located at 218 Spring Street, Catskill, NY, United States. The site provided Thomas Cole with a residence and studio from 1833 through his death in 1848.

The property was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1999 and is an affiliated area of the National Park Service.

In 1684, Gysbert uyt den Bogaert purchased about 460 acres (190 ha) of land from Native Americans, an area at the mouth of Catskill Creek that was bounded on the east by the Hudson River. After the death of his last descendant the land was subsequently divided and sold by a speculator in the middle of the 18th century. The land was further subdivided during the Revolutionary War, but the development of the area (including the foundations of the town of Catskill) only began in the mid-1790s when growth is described in historical sources as "very rapid."

One of the first landowners was Dr. Thomas Thomson (1750–1805), who arrived in 1787 to practice medicine, speculate in land, and live with his family. After his death and the return of his son Thomas T. Thomson from South America in 1815, the doctor and his family purchased and leased neighboring lots until their property encompassed 155 acres (0.63 km2) at its apex. During this period, the family built a Federal-style house as their primary residence, finishing construction in 1816. The first documented references to the property as 'Cedar Grove' date to this time.

In 1821, Thomas T. Thomson died. His brother John A. Thomson, known familiarly as "Uncle Sandy," assumed duties as head of the household. The Cedar Grove property was a working farm, with oxen, cows, beef cattle, hogs, and one horse. Barley, oats, corn, and hay were cultivated, though orchards produced the primary cash crop of the farm. A large extended family lived with Uncle Sandy, including four of his orphaned nieces.

When Thomas Cole arrived in the early 1830s, Cedar Grove had become "a viable gentleman's farm." Looking to secure a more permanent residence in the Catskill area while maintaining a studio in New York City, Cole rented space from the Thomson family to live and paint. In November 1836 he formally entered the family, marrying John A. Thomson's niece Maria Bartow in the West Parlor of the Cedar Grove house. She was 23 years old to his 35.

Cole painted numerous scenes of the Catskill landscape around Cedar Grove, including such well-known paintings as Lake with Dead Trees, and Kaaterskill Falls. Cedar Grove continues to offer views of the Catskill mountains, and Cole expressed his feelings for the site and its proximity to the wilderness in poetry and letters. In 1834 he wrote,

O Cedar Grove! Whene'er I think to part
From thine all peaceful shades my aching heart
Is like to his who leaves some blessed shore
A weeping exile ne'er to see it more…

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