October Autumn to Finish

After the reunion, we headed up the river to Poughkeepsie to visit my high school classmate Charlotte and her husband John on another perfect autumn weather day. 

Poughkeepsie is the centre of a burgeoning arts centre amidst the small towns along the mid-Hudson River region. We had a superb dinner here at the Ice House set in a park overlooking the river. A special treat was sharing dinner with another high school classmate Vinessa who was visiting from Virginia. 

Picking up reams of tourist information leaflets, as we always do, we realised there was much too much to do with only a day and a half in Poughkeepsie. The most popular local sight is probably the extensive Hyde Park estate of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor. Ken Burn's TV series on the Roosevelts had just aired so we thought Hyde Park would be much too crowded on a holiday weekend. And we had spent a day at Hyde Park many years ago when we looked at Bard College with Megan. The alternative Bob chose was Locust Grove, because it was the home of Samuel F.B. Morse and because it was very close to our Holiday Inn Express. And what an inspired choice he made. The 1851 Italianate style house, all the rage in mid-century America, . . .

. . . with its elegant porte cochere . . .

. . . and wrap-around porches . . .

. . . was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis, the top-drawer architect of the moment, whose illustrations and designs popularised the Picturesque styles that still characterise the new suburbs and exurbs that began to spring up on the edges of America's booming cities. Morse knew who to turn to for his country house in Poughkeepsie because he was straight out of a contemporary preppie handbook, if one had existed. Dad was Jedediah Morse, a conservative Boston preacher and author of the first American Geography textbook. Samuel was educated at Andover and Yale, and despite his father's disapproval of art as a career path, Morse went to London to study at the Royal Academy with Benjamin West. Returning to the States he supported himself as a painter, doing portraits of Presidents and honored figures such as the Lafayette. He was a founder of the National Academy of Design, modeled on the English Royal Academy, and when New York University was opened in the early 1830s, Morse was appointed professor of painting and sculpture, the first Fine Arts appointment in the United States. Unfortunately, his political views included support of slavery, opposition to foreign immigration, and virulent anti-Catholicism. 

Locust Grove is surrounded by 200 acres of beautifully landscaped land on the bluff overlooking the river from the house. The estate was saved from any intrusive development after the Morse family left. The property was rented to the Young family who eventually bought the estate, and their daughter Annette, who never married, lived in the house until her death in 1975. She set up a trust and a foundation to maintain the house and protect the property after her death.

The gardens are extensive . . .

. . . and beautiful even in the autumn season of dying.

The kitchen garden is especially lovely . . .

 . . . and still filled with seasonal crops.

Even with all that family history and drama . . . I didn't even mention Jedediah's losing battle to protect  Harvard's seminary from a Unitarian takeover or his brush with promoting the Illuminati conspiracy as a threat to the nation . . . and success as a (xenophobic, racist) professional fine artist, it was the telegraph that got the results. In an age when polymathism was still possible, Morse is said to have had an interest in electromagnetism dating back to his years as a Yale student. The 1830s was the decade of electromagnetic breakthroughs, and in 1832, on a ship returning to America from Europe, Morse had discussions with another passenger that gave him the idea for a single wire telegraph. Others were also experimenting with similar ideas and submitting patent applications at that time, and Morse did not receive a secure patent until 1847. Just in time to buy his Poughkeepsie land and hire A.J. Davis to create a magical design reminiscent of the Italian countryside on the bluffs of the Hudson River. 

Apparently the internet and social media are not the first new communication technology to worry about privacy issues. The adoption of the "Morse" code which is an adaption of the code designed by Morse, and easily read by any trained clerk, gave rise to coded messaging if this book on display at Locust Grove is evidence. 

Next we come to Poughkeepsie's number one must-do  . . .

. . . a rehabbed railroad bridge . . .

. . .  that lets you walk in the air over the city, looking downstream  . . .

. . . and upstream . . .

. . . and across at the patchwork quilt of autumn leaves . . .

. . . standing over the water as it flows under you . . .

. . . whilst the wild wind blows over you.

A fire in 1974 damaged the bridge and led to its closure. For decades it was a rusting relic of the past until local citizens formed a group which successfully brought together private donors with state and federal aid to make the project. The Walkway opened in 2009. Ever since Charlotte began posting photos of the bridge, I have looked forward to the chance to see it and walk over it. Well this time we only walked half way because we had to be on our way back to Hingham. But we didn't have nearly enough time to explore other villages and to visit other historic houses associated with the Hudson River painters of the 19th century. So we'll be back.

We wound our way back to Hingham with some stops along the way. I hadn't thought about this until our friend Deborah in New Jersey said last week, "You are always stopping at places. When I go somewhere, I just want to get where I am going." after I had mentioned our stop at the Bush-Holley House in Greenwich, Connecticut on our way to New Jersey. Perhaps it comes with living in a small country. When places are not very far apart, there always seems like time can be found to stop on the way. Also, we have become delighted with the treasures to be found in small local museums. Reminders of American art with the Cos Cob School and the Hudson River School had piqued our interest, and Bob found two museums that offered American art collections of interest. The Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury is a beautiful museum with a collection of Connecticut art , along with much else, and where we also had a wonderful lunch. I just loved their decorative painting on the museum's back wall.

The real treasure trove was The New Britain Museum of American Art, a museum that no one has ever heard of that houses a wonderful collection of American art from the itinerants of the 18th century to today's artists in nicely laid out chronological galleries. And it has been there since 1903!

I knew it was a good collection because it has a Fairfield Porter on display.  We're still waiting for everyone else to realise he is the greatest American painter of the 20th century. There was also a special exhibition of quilts to see, but where photos were not permitted.

Back in Hingham, and Bob has flown back to London, so there is time to enjoy beautiful days with friends. Nantasket Beach with Anne . . .

. . . watching the surfers . . .

. . . take advantage of waves from Hurricane Gonzalo in Bermuda.

And a Walking Tour of Hingham's oldest burial ground behind the Old Ship Meeting House with Sunny and Charlotte on her lead.

Like any old cemetery, stones are moved around to accommodate changes. .

The site of the 17th century hill fort built to protect citizens from Indian attack during King Phillip's War. Five Hingham houses were burned by the Indians during the war, and there was at least one fatality in the fighting.

The Weeping Angel . . . a graveyard favourite.

Lavinia's home school curriculum allows trips into Boston on the
commuter boat from Hingham Shipyard.

Lavinia the builder  . . .

. . . at the Science Museum.

On Fridays, she is dropped off at the New England Aquarium on the waterfront for a marine science programme giving Megan and I the chance to do some exploring in downtown Boston. Looking for explanatory signs . . . 

. . . sometimes with odd  information . . . a shoe store?

And dropping in at the Boston Atheneum to see a wonderful exhibition of World War I posters from around the world. The Museum of Fine Arts is also having a poster display, but the Atheneum's is far better. We had a chat with the curator who happened to be there, and he is a big fan of Hampstead and the Parish Church burial ground.

And a visit to Boston's Holocaust Memorial which was built shortly before we left Hingham in 1998. I had the chance to visit it once back then, but haven't been since then. The designer is the brother-in-law of one of my London quilting group friends. 

. . . and a walk through the six towers . . .

. . . whose glass walls are incised with six million identification numbers.

And finally the day has arrived! Eloise is 4 years old!

Getting ready for the family party.

Beautiful decorations

Monkey Face cupcakes as requested and made by Mommy

A sea of presents

And since Halloween is nearly here, the second party of the day is the Old Colony Montessori Halloween Party. A pretty Kitty Witch . . .

A powerful X-Man  . . .

And a beautiful Elsa ready to roll.

I fly back to London tonight, so we spend our last lunch at Hingham's national hot spot: the Wahlburger corner at the Shipyard, site of the Wahlberger Family restaurant hub and location of the TV reality show . . . now in its second season . . . and available to watch in London on Sky digital! Megan said the traffic last summer was impossible as people queued in their cars to have their photos taken in front of Wahlburgers.

We ate our fantastic lobster rolls and chips across the way at Alma Nove, named for Mama Wahlberg. Megan informed me that celebrity chef Paul Wahlberg was sitting right behind me, and I could hear a bit of the conversation about the TV shooting schedule. Paul is a phenomenal chef having made Bridgeman's in Nantasket Beach the go-to restaurant before moving his operation to the new Hingham Shipyard development. 

Eloise is smiling because she is looking forward to getting her bed back when I leave!