Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation & Museums

Hours: The house is open Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., April through November; group tours may be arranged by reservation. The grounds are open daily, year-round.
Admission: Free

Cedarmere has been designated a part of the New York State Underground Railroad Heritage Trail.

HISTORY. Cedarmere, the historic property of prominent 19th-century poet, newspaper editor and civic leader William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), includes the Bryant home and several other structures on a beautiful 7-acre property overlooking Roslyn Harbor.

Cedarmere served as the rural Long Island home of Bryant from 1843 until his death in 1878. Bryant purchased the Cedarmere property as a retreat from the pressures and congestion of the city, so that he could work on his poetry and indulge his love of nature.

Born in Massachussetts in 1794 to parents whose ancestors traced their history in America to the Mayflower, Bryant was educated at Williams College and studied law at Worthington and Bridgewater, gaining admission to the bar in 1815. Bryant worked as a lawyer in Massachussetts until 1825, when he moved to New York with his wife and began contributing to such literary journals as the North American Review and New York Review. After the New York Review went out of business, Bryant became editor of the New York Evening Post, in 1829, a position he held until his death and from which he pressed his anti-slavery and liberal views, including support for the newly formed Republican Party (of which he was a founder) and the candidacy of Abraham Lincoln.

In February of 1860, Bryant introduced Lincoln to New Yorkers, as the then-presidential aspirant made his famous address before a packed auditorium at Cooper Union in Manhattan. Upon Lincoln’s death, Bryant penned “The Death of Lincoln,” including this verse:

“Thy task is done; the bond are free

We bear thee to an honored grave

Whose Proudest monument shall be

The broken fetters of the slave.”

Bryant, who achieved acclaim as one of America's most original and significant poets,published his first work of poetry when he was 10 and his first book of poetry when he was 14. Later in life, Bryant translated Greek and Latin classics, including The Iliad and The Odyssey. Manhattan's Bryant Park, on 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, is named after William Cullen Bryant.

Today, Bryant is scarcely remembered by the general public and even among professional historians may only receive a passing mention, but in his era Bryant was a major American figure in both the arts and politics. In New York, flags were flown at half mast upon his death and crowds at his memorial service in a New York City church spilled out into the street. The great American poet Walt Whitman immediately returned to New York from Philadelphia to attend the funeral when he heard of Bryant's death.

THE PROPERTY. The oldest section of Cedarmere was constructed in 1787 by Richard Kirk, a Quaker farmer. Bryant greatly enlarged the original farmhouse, renovating it several times. He also planted numerous exotic trees and flowers on the grounds, tranforming the estate into a horticultural showplace.

Following Bryant's death, Cedarmere was occupied by his daughter, Julia, and his grandson, Harold Godwin. Godwin ultimately added such features as a stone bridge and sunken garden to the landscape. He also rebuilt the house following a major fire in 1902. The estate was left to Nassau County by Godwin's daughter, Elizabeth, to preserve as a memorial to Bryant.

Visitors can view the exhibits in the house and stroll on the property, which includes a Gothic mill, a pond spanned by a rustic stone bridge, and a small formal garden. Cedarmere also hosts a numa ber of educational, arts and community events during the course of the year. Elements magazine has called Cedarmere "one of the most beautifully preserved and serene enclaves on the North Shore of Long Island."

Cedarmere has received a $75,000 matching grant from the New York State Envirornmental Protection Fund designed for renovation work on the home; the county is in the process of soliciting additional funding from private donors.

Cedarmere Hosts “Restoring Arcadia" Art Show and Concert

Cedarmere, the historic Roslyn Harbor home of 19th-century poet and newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant, is hosting two concerts on Sunday, August 3, in conjunction with the opening of its art show, “Restoring Arcadia.”

The concerts, at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., will feature the music of Debussy with Paul Baserman and Jonathan Bley on piano, vocal music by Patti Dunham and the Cedarmaids Women's Chorale, and dancing by Eric Hoisington accompanied by Jennifer Miceli on flute. Concert tickets are $20 each and include refreshments served on the Cedarmere grounds at 2:30 pm. Seating at Cedarmere is limited, so tickets must be reserved in advance by calling 676-0052.

The Restoring Arcadia art show includes paintings by Scott Payne of Sea Cliff nature-inspired photographs, prints and etchings by Fabio-Romano del Castelleto of the Netherlands. The exhibit will remain on display through September during the museum's regular hours on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission to the exhibit is free.

Restoring Arcadia was organized by Paul Baserman of Sea Cliff, who was inspired by the beauty of Cedarmere to create this event for the benefit of the museum. It is co-sponsored by the Friends of Nassau County Recreation.

Registration Begins for Fall Watercolor Painting Class

at Historic Cedarmere Museum

Cedarmere, the historic Roslyn home of prominent 19th-century poet and editor William Cullen Bryant, has begun registration for its fall watercolor painting class, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi. The series of five classes will be held on Tuesdays in September and October from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The class dates are September 16 and 23 and October 7, 14 and 28.

The program is designed for beginning and intermediate watercolor students with special attention given to those with little or no previous painting experience. Selma Stern, recently honored by the American Watercolor Society, returns for her 11th year as instructor. All sessions will be held in Cedarmere’s Gothic Revival mill, built in 1863 and located in a pastoral setting by the pond on the property. Participants will have the opportunity to paint “en plein air” (outdoors), weather permitting.

The mill was once used as an artist’s studio by Francis Bryant Godwin, great granddaughter of William Cullen Bryant. Harold Godwin, Bryant’s grandson, was also an accomplished watercolorist whose work, displayed at the estate, was inspired by the picturesque Cedarmere grounds.

The fee for the course is $115, and no refunds will be issued once classes begin (students are required to provide their own materials). To register and receive more information, call 516-571-8130.

Cedarmere, operated by the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, includes the Bryant home and several other structures on a beautiful 7-acre property overlooking Roslyn Harbor. Visitors can view the exhibits in the house and stroll on the property, which includes a pond spanned by a rustic stone bridge, a Gothic Revival Mill, and a formal garden. The property, which has been designated a part of the New York State Underground Railroad Heritage Trail, is located on Bryant Avenue west of Glen Cove Road.