Lyndhurst mansion in Tarrytown
Lyndhurst, 635 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591, 914-631-4481. This Gothic Revival mansion was originally designed in 1838 by American architect Alexander Jackson Davis for former New York City mayor William Paulding, Jr. Paulding named his country villa “Knoll.” In 1864 Davis doubled the size of the house for its second owner, George Merritt, who renamed it “Lyndenhurst” after the Linden trees growing on the property. In 1880 railroad baron Jay Gould purchased the estate, maintaining it as his summer home and country retreat until his death in 1892. The mansion and its 67-acre estate house remained in the Gould family until 1961. It’s now a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The grounds and outbuildings are a fine example of 19 century landscape design. Much of the layout was accomplished by Ferdinand Mangold, whose tenure spanned both Merritt and Gould ownership of the property. Both Mangold and Merritt are buried nearby in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Paulding is in the adjacent churchyard of the Old Dutch Church.
Fans of the 1960s television series Dark Shadows may recall that Lyndhurst in served as the Collinwood estate in the feature-length film House of Dark Shadows (1970). Sleepy Hollow Cemetery’s receiving vault made a cameo in that same film as the Collins family mausoleum.
Visit around Halloween for Scarecrow Invasion and Lyndhurst After Dark. The grounds are host to annual craft fairs and other special events. Mansion tours: adults $12, children 6-16 with paying adult $6. Mid-April through October, Tuesday-Sunday and holiday Mondays, 10:00am-5:00pm. November through mid-April, open weekends and holiday Mondays (except Martin Luther King Day), 10:00 am-4:00 pm. Other rates apply for special events.
Parking: on site.
Events
Check our Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown calendar for more special events.
Lyndhurst After Dark
Dare to enter the dark shadows of the Lyndhurst mansion as day gives way to blackest night… A spooky gothic mansion standing alone in a large, isolated property, Lyndhurst bears additional psychic residue as the site of the first two Dark Shadows movies, wherein vampires, assorted ghosts, and the family of Barnabas Collins held sway. Besides Collins and his undead relatives, Lyndhurst was the home of three human families over a period 120 years—including that of robber baron Jay Gould. So who knows what modern visitors may discover in the flickering shadows and evocative sounds of Lyndhurst After Dark?
Visit in the shadows or in darkest night, beginning October 4, 2012 and continuing throughout the month. Costumes are encouraged! For schedule and to purchase tickets visit www.lyndhurst.org/upcoming-events
Crafts at Lyndhurst
Fall session: September 21-23, 2012. Rated the top show in New York and one of the best in the country. Crafts at Lyndhurst features more than 300 booths filled with handmade American crafts. From pottery to jewelry and furniture to clothing, the dazzling selection of fine crafts represents the best work of artisans from across the nation.
Scarecrow Invasion
October 2012 (as of September 2012, dates not yet confirmed). Walk among hundreds of scarecrows representing characters from the past, present and future created by local elementary and intermediate students.
