The Friends of Cedermare
Cedarmere was the country estate of William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), 19th century poet, civic leader, and newspaper editor. Bryant purchased the 40-acre property in 1843, naming it Cedarmere after the cedar trees which ringed the pond. The landscape was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) and throughout the 1840s and 1860s, Bryant purchased additional land, expanded the main house and replaced the 1770 mill with a 1862 construction in the Gothic Revival style. Now an historic house museum overlooking Hempstead Harbor, the property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Friends of Cedarmere volunteers work to restore the house and gardens to their former grandeur based on existing records of the original layouts and planting, and preserve and promote public use of facilities.
The Cedarmere historic collection includes items from as early as the 1600s including artwork; portraits, publications, periodicals, ephemera and 19th century home furnishings. The Cedarmere Library has a catalog of books bought by or given to Bryant, some with dedication signatures. There are 1208 single titles and 574 multi volume sets. The oldest volume – a 1609 volume of the Iliad by Homer is most noteworthy with the bulk of the collection dating from 1800 to 1878. A newspaper collection of The New York Evening Post where Bryant was an editor dates from 1852-1875. There is also a significant amount of Littell's Living Age periodicals (1844-1941) which Bryant appears to have collected. The weekly publication was an American general magazine largely consisting of selections from various English and American magazines and newspapers. Researchers interested in learning about William Cullen Bryant, his connection to the Hudson River School Painters, and his work as a Fireside poet, along with those more generally interested in the historic house and grounds will find a visit to Cedarmere most rewarding. Related resources on William Bryant can be found at the Century Association Archives Foundation where he served for 11 years as its third president: https://www.centuryarchives.org/caba/bio.php?PersonID=395&Search=7d221c96d3cef69f19c6885bcd449c3a.
Archives: by appointment
Address: 225 Bryant Avenue, Roslyn Harbor, New York 11576
Website: www.friendsofcedarmere.org
Contact: 516-844-3944
info@friendsofcedarmere.org
#WilliamCullenBryant #MillFiresidePoet #HudsonRiverSchool #newspapers #portraits #19thCenturyFurniture #NewYorkEveningPost #LittellsLivingAge #Cedarmere #rarebooks #FrederickLawOlmsted #CenturyAssociation