Brown Parcels
In the summer of 2012, we received full title to three contiguous and undeveloped parcels totaling 5 acres located at the intersection of Henry, Otis and Schuyler Roads, donated by Elinore Brown. Two of those parcels had earlier been the subject of the first conservation easements given to the Conservancy in 2003 by then-owner David Croyder. These parcels command imposing views of Sam’s Point and the Shawangunk Mountain ridge line, and they will be maintained open and undeveloped for the benefit of all.
One of these parcels also preserves a significant piece of Cragsmoor history, the ruins of the Peter Brown farmhouse. Peter Brown was a well-known 19th Century citizen of Cragsmoor; both he and his house are featured in early photographs and in the paintings of Edward Lamson Henry, the dean of the Cragsmoor Art Colony. At the end of the 19th Century, the house was purchased by Eliza Gardiner Hartshorn, one of the Cragsmoor residents most responsible for creating the Cragsmoor Art Colony and the benefactrice of the Stone Church, and the farmhouse then served as temporary housing for Frederick Dellenbaugh, architect of the Stone Church as well as many of Cragsmoor’s great houses, during the building of his own home, Endridge.
Mindful of the Conservancy’s mission “to preserve the distinctive natural and cultural resources of Cragsmoor,” the Conservancy applied for and received a grant from the New York Conservation Partnership program (administered by the Land Trust Alliance) to perform an archaeological survey of the remains of the farmhouse. Cragsmoor Consultants and its two principal archaeologists, Wendy Harris and Arnold Pickman, are preparing a report on the farmhouse, which will be posted on this website. In addition, descriptive signage will be prepared so that the community can learn more about Cragsmoor’s heritage and the steps that are being taken to preserve it for posterity.
Muller Wildlife Sanctuary
In the summer of 2011, Ernie and Lucy Muller protected an undeveloped, pristine 37-acre tract of land on the southern edge of Cragsmoor by donating a conversation easement to the Cragsmoor Conservancy.
Ernie bought the property more than 50 years ago. Now, he and his wife Lucy have permanently protected this much-loved property by creating an easement that calls for it to be maintained solely as a wildlife sanctuary for the many animals, including black bears, who call it home.
No recreational use will be permitted. The property has been named The Muller Wildlife Sanctuary in their honor. In addition to affirming their life-long dream to protect the property, the Mullers received a substantial tax deduction for their donation.