Muscoot Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Muscoot Farm |
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(2025)
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| Town/City | 51 Route 100 Katonah, NY 10536 |
| Coordinates | 41°15′54″N 73°43′43″W / 41.265094°N 73.728743°W |
| Established | 1974 |
| Website | http://www.muscootfarm.org/ |
Muscoot Farm is a special place in Katonah, New York. It's like a living museum that shows what a farm was like in the early 1900s. This farm is owned and run by the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. It's a great spot to learn about farm life and see animals.
Contents
The Story of Muscoot Farm
How the Farm Began
Muscoot Farm sits on land that was once part of a huge area called Van Cortlandt Manor. This manor was created way back in 1697. After the original owners passed away, the land was split into many smaller pieces. The area where Muscoot Farm is today was called "Great South Lot #6." Back then, this part of New York was very wild and had no roads or people.
In 1802, the land was divided into smaller sections for tenant farms. Most of Muscoot Farm is on what were called Lot 3 and Lot 5. You can still see the old stone wall that separated these two lots. It runs across the park just north of the gazebo.
The northern part of the farm (Lot 5) was sold in 1803 to Absalom Nelson. His family owned it for over 100 years. The southern part (Lot 3) was leased by Joseph Montross. He had a house near where the main farmhouse is now. Over time, these farms were bought and sold by different families.
From Small Farms to a "Gentleman's Farm"
In the 1870s, a rich businessman named Benjamin Brandeth bought several of these farms. He was a pharmaceutical boss from Ossining. Later, in the 1880s, another pharmaceutical executive, Ferdinand T. Hopkins, bought the land.
Hopkins turned these small farms into what was called a "Gentleman's Farm." This was a hobby farm owned by wealthy people. They wanted to stay connected to nature or remember their childhood farm life. These farms usually lost money because profit wasn't the main goal. Muscoot Farm stayed in the Hopkins family for almost 90 years. Then, in 1968, Westchester County bought it.
The Hopkins Family's Life on the Farm
Ferdinand Travis Hopkins was 46 years old when he decided to buy a summer home in Westchester County. He grew up on a farm in Lake Mahopac. Later, he made a lot of money in New York City with real estate and medicines. He owned a successful business that made soaps and skin creams.
In 1879, his son, Ferdinand T. Hopkins Jr., was born. This new baby might have made Mr. Hopkins want a summer home in the countryside. In 1880, he bought the Ezra Van Tassel farm. It was a working farm, not a fancy retreat.
The Hopkins family decided to build a new house on a small hill. It was a beautiful Victorian farmhouse with porches and colorful awnings. It looked like an impressive country home. Ferdinand Hopkins had big plans for his summer place. He kept buying more land around his farm. By 1892, he owned a lot more property, including other farmhouses.
As Ferdinand Sr. spent more time at the farm, his sons focused on the family business. They expanded their company by buying "Mother Sill's Seasick Remedy." This was a smart move because many people were traveling on ocean liners.
Ferdinand Sr. passed away in 1920. His son, Ferdinand Jr., and his second wife, Myrtle Rose Kennedy, moved into the family home. They had two children, Jean and Ferdinand III. They spent their summers on the farm. The main house was even remodeled into a 20th-century Colonial Revival mansion between 1925 and 1927.
Farming activity at Muscoot was probably busiest in the 1920s and early 1930s. The farm focused on providing dairy products to New York City. At this time, Muscoot Farm was about 610 acres. They had a herd of 90 to 100 dairy cows, mostly Holstein-Friesians. The large dairy barn could hold 60 cows.
Farming was changing a lot during this time. New technology and equipment appeared. There were more government rules and new discoveries in science. Farmers had to adapt. Many Westchester farmers found it harder to compete. Goods from other places could be brought to New York City more cheaply. Also, other industries in the area offered better jobs, making farm labor expensive. Farming was becoming more of a business than a way of life.
Moving the Farm Buildings
A big change was coming for Muscoot Farm. In 1883, New York State passed a law to build new reservoirs and aqueducts. This was to bring more clean water to New York City. It was clear that northern Westchester County would be greatly affected. Entire villages had to be moved, and parts of others disappeared. Farms along the Croton and Muscoot Rivers faced flooding.
On January 5, 1897, New York City told Ferdinand T. Hopkins that it was taking 160 acres of Muscoot Farm. This land would be flooded when the Cornell Dam (New Croton Dam) was finished in 1906. It also included the land where the house and all the farm buildings were. Like many farmers, Hopkins immediately tried to lease back his land and buildings. Once he had his summer home back, he could plan what to do next.
New York City didn't want to pay to tear down buildings before the land flooded. Instead, they offered the buildings to the public. The buyer had to remove them at their own expense. In April 1899, the city put the buildings up for auction. Hopkins made an offer, and the city accepted it.
Moving the buildings from the city's property took a lot of effort. Each building was moved without being taken apart. Workers would gently lift a building off its foundation onto a bed of logs. These logs acted like rollers. Horses would turn a large machine called a windlass. Ropes from the building were attached to the windlass. As the horses turned it, the building was pulled forward across the logs. When the building reached the end of the logs, the logs from behind were moved to the front.
Many large buildings on the Hopkins property had to be moved. This included the main house, the carriage house, carriage barns, and the horse barn. Each building needed weeks of preparation. They had to be made strong enough for the move. New foundations were built at the new location. The path between the old and new sites had to be made smooth. Smaller buildings like the hen house, ice house, outhouse, old milk house, and corn crib also made the journey north toward the large dairy barn.
Muscoot Farm Today
Westchester County opened Muscoot Farm as an open-air museum and park in 1975. Today, you can visit and see different farm animals all year round. There are also hiking trails, old farm tools, and buildings to explore. In late winter, you can even see how maple syrup and sugar are harvested.
See also
- Muscoot Reservoir
- Open-air museum
