Harkness Memorial State Park
Harkness Memorial State Park is a 230-acre (93 ha) Connecticut state park and botanical garden located on Long Island Sound in the town of Waterford, Connecticut. The state park comprises Eolia, a 42-room Renaissance Revival mansion with formal gardens and greenhouses.[1]
History
The park was the former summer home of philanthropists Edward and Mary Harkness, who inherited the fortune created by Edward's father, Stephen V. Harkness, who was a substantial investor in John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. The mansion was designed by the New York architectural firm of Lord & Hewlett and constructed in 1906-1907. From 1918 to 1929, landscape designer Beatrix Jones Farrand made extensive improvements to the grounds, adding numerous formal gardens. The estate was left to the state by Mary Harkness in 1950 and became part of the state park system in 1952. Eolia—The Harkness Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as a 220-acre (89 ha) historic district with 15 contributing buildings and two other contributing structures.[2]
Activities and amenities
The park offers mansion tours, picnicking, and shoreline fishing.[1]
See also
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut
References
- ^ a b "Harkness Memorial State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
- ^ Clouette, Bruce (April 7, 1986). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Eolia—The Harkness Estate". National Park Service. Retrieved October 26, 2012. With accompanying photos from 1985 and 1986
External links
- Harkness Memorial State Park Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
- Friends of Harkness Memorial State Park
- Historic photos of Eolia interiors from the Library of Congress
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- State parks of Connecticut
- Botanical gardens in Connecticut
- Parks in New London County, Connecticut
- Waterford, Connecticut
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
- Houses completed in 1907
- Museums in New London County, Connecticut
- Historic house museums in Connecticut
- National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut
- Houses in New London County, Connecticut
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut