Grey Towers National Historic Site facts for kids
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Gifford Pinchot House
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Towers at house's south elevation, 2007
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| Location | Milford, PA |
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| Nearest city | Port Jervis, NY |
| Area | 102 acres (41 ha) |
| Built | 1886 |
| Architect | Richard Morris Hunt Henry Edwards-Ficken |
| Architectural style | Neo-Norman |
| Website | Grey Towers National Historic Site |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000694 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | May 23, 1963 |
Grey Towers National Historic Site is a special place in Milford, Pennsylvania. It's also known as Gifford Pinchot House. This historic home was once the family residence of Gifford Pinchot. He was the very first leader of the United States Forest Service. He also served twice as the governor of Pennsylvania.
The house looks like a French château, which is a fancy castle-like home. This style was chosen to honor the Pinchot family's French background. Famous architects Richard Morris Hunt and Henry Edwards-Ficken designed it. Grey Towers sits on hills overlooking the Delaware River. Gifford Pinchot grew up here and returned often. His wife, Cornelia, made many changes to the house and gardens.
In 1963, the Pinchot family gave the house and its 102 acres to the U.S. Forest Service. It's the only National Historic Site managed by this agency. A few years later, it was named a National Historic Landmark. Today, you can visit Grey Towers for tours and hiking. It's also home to the Pinchot Institute, which continues Gifford's important work in conservation.
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Exploring Grey Towers: House and Grounds
The main house is a large, three-story building made of stone. It's shaped like an "L." The house gets its name from the conical-shaped towers at three of its corners. A separate wing extends from the fourth corner for service areas. When it was first built, the house had 43 rooms! The first floor included a big entrance hall, a billiard room, a dining room, a library, and a sitting room. Bedrooms were on the second and third floors. The third floor also had storage and playrooms for children.
The estate has many other interesting buildings. On the original 303 acres, there are 48 different structures. Most of these are important to the site's history. Some unique spots include the "Letter Box" and "Bait Box" cottages. There's also a special outdoor dining area called the "Finger Bowl." You can also find a Forester's Cottage, an outdoor theater, and the ruins of the Yale School of Forestry's summer school. Gifford Pinchot even started a white pine plantation here.
A Look Back: History of Grey Towers
The story of Grey Towers can be divided into four main parts. These include its first building by James Pinchot, the years with Gifford and Cornelia Pinchot, its early time with the Forest Service, and recent efforts to preserve its history.
James Pinchot: Building a Dream Home
In 1875, Gifford's father, James Wallace Pinchot, retired from his successful wallpaper business. He moved his family from New York City back to Milford, where he grew up. He bought 3,000 acres of land overlooking the Delaware River. He especially loved a small waterfall on Sawkill Creek.
James Pinchot spent his time planning Grey Towers and the land around it. He wanted the land to look like an "ornamental farm." This meant it would be beautiful but also productive, like his orchards. In 1884, he hired Richard Morris Hunt, a family friend, to design a French-style chateau. It was inspired by the Marquis de Lafayette's home in France. The house was finished two years later in 1886. James Pinchot made some small changes to save money. He also had Henry Edwards-Ficken adjust the plans when building on the rocky ground was difficult. Edwards-Ficken added some decorative touches, like the front door and wrought iron porches.
Almost all the building materials came from nearby areas. Hemlock wood floated down the Delaware River. Shohola provided bluestone and windows. Roofing slate came from Lafayette, New Jersey. All the workers were from Milford.
James Pinchot later felt bad about the environmental damage caused by industries like his. He helped start the Yale School of Forestry, the first graduate forestry program in the U.S. From 1901 to 1926, the Grey Towers estate was used for the school's summer training. Today, only ruins of those old school buildings remain.
Gifford and Cornelia: A Home for Public Life
Gifford's father, James, passed away in 1908. In 1914, Gifford married Cornelia Bryce. They began spending their summers at Grey Towers. Cornelia realized that their growing political careers needed a home suitable for entertaining important guests. She started modernizing the house. Many changes were made to the first floor. For example, the dining room and breakfast room were combined to create a large sitting room. The library was also made bigger by adding the living room to it. Gifford once said that his wife "broke down the partition walls and let in light and air ... [O]f course, it's a vast improvement."
Cornelia loved gardening. She focused on improving the grounds. First, a swimming pool was designed. It was a raised pool surrounded by stone walls and wooden trellises. Next came the "Bait Box," a playhouse for their son, Gifford Bryce Pinchot. Later, in the late 1920s, the "Letter Box" was added. This small cottage was used to store Gifford's papers and as an office for his political staff. Cornelia and architect Chester Holmes Aldrich also added a moat around the house. This made the house look more grand, just as the original architect had wanted.
In the early 1930s, Cornelia hired William Lawrence Bottomley to create the unique "Finger Bowl." This was an outdoor dining area with a raised pool surrounded by a flat ledge. Guests would sit at the ledge, and food was served from bowls floating on the water! It was covered by a wisteria-covered arbor. In the late 1930s, Gifford Pinchot started the White Pine Plantation. He wanted to reforest some old farmland near the mansion. He was especially interested in white pines because they were common in Pike County but had been heavily cut down.
Forest Service: A Legacy Continues
After his mother passed away in 1960, Gifford Bryce Pinchot gave Grey Towers to the Forest Service. The family had always planned this. The agency wanted to use the house as a conference center. They had to fix some interior walls damaged by insects and water. Other rooms were turned into offices or storage. The swimming pool was filled in 1979 because it was hard to maintain. A parking lot was also built.
The Pinchot Institute, which helps manage the site, was officially opened by President John F. Kennedy on September 24, 1963. That same year, Grey Towers was one of the first places named a National Historic Landmark.
In 1980, the Forest Service realized that some of their changes had damaged the historic house. They started a plan to restore the house and grounds to how they looked when the Pinchot family lived there. After a short closing for these renovations, Grey Towers reopened on August 11, 2001, which was Gifford Pinchot's birthday. The state of Pennsylvania also helped with money for renovations. In 2007, the swimming pool was restored.
Visiting Grey Towers Today
The grounds of Grey Towers are open every day from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This is from Memorial Day weekend through October. Guided tours of the home and gardens start every hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a small fee for tours, but sometimes they are free. You can also explore self-guided trails. These trails teach you about the Pinchot family, forestry, and the bluebirds that live in the woods. There is also a gift shop.
The Pinchot Institute also holds meetings about conservation. These meetings happen in the mansion or in the Letter Box building.
Gallery
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Front facade
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The Bait Box
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Patio leading to the Finger Bowl
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A view of the rear
