Vermont – St. Gaudens National Park (NH)

Well, technically this park is in New Hampshire, but it is right across the Connecticut River from Windsor Vermont. Saint-Gaudens National Park in Cornish, New Hampshire, preserves “Aspet” – the former summer and permanent country estate of renowned Guilded Age sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907). It is the only site in New Hampshire administered by the National Park Service (NPS). Aspet was the inn until Saint-Gaudens bought it and turned it into his estate.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) was a premier Irish-American scuptor of the Gilded Agen and a leading figure of the American Renaissance. He was born in Dublin, Ireland and grew up in New York City. He trained at Cooper-Union.

The mansion is lovely.

The view from the side porch is to die for.

You enter the house right into the living room.

From the living room, you enter the dining room. Quite fancy, isn’t it? The Saint-Gaudens loved to entertain.

The kitchen was cozy, with a nice view from the window.

Here’s the stove. Can you imagine cooking on this?

Here’s the pantry.

Notice the fine woodwork details on the stairs.

This was one of the most interesting and informative experiences I have had. I had never heard of Saint-Gaudens until coming here. I just love learning new things.

What about you? Have you unexpectly learned something new?