National Register of Historic Places

Barr, Amelia, House

Cornwall-on-Hudson, Orange County, New York
Listed
November 23, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82001211

About this property

The Amelia Barr House, also known as Cherry Croft, is located on Mountain Road in Cornwall on Hudson, a village in Orange County, New York, United States. It is on the slopes of Storm King Mountain, near Storm King School. Barr, the most published American female writer born in the 19th century, lived here during the most prolific and successful period of her career. Barr, an Englishwoman who came to the United States from Lancashire at the age of 19, moved to New York City in the early 1870s with her daughters from Galveston, Texas, after her husband and six of her nine children died of yellow fever. There she began to write fiction. In 1885, she and her daughters began spending summers at a boardinghouse in Cornwall. Her novels eventually became successful enough that, in 1891, she could afford to buy the cottage, previously rented by artist Abbot Handerson Thayer. After highly regarded local builders Mead and Taft renovated it extensively, she renamed it Cherry Croft, and accordingly most of her work from that time period came to be known as the Cherry Croft novels. She summered there until selling it in 1915, when she moved to White Plains to be cared for by her daughter Lilly. Mead and White's renovations resulted in a 3,500-square foot (315 m2) three-storey home with six bedrooms, four bathrooms, library, living room and dining room. It has a 1,000-square foot (90 m2) wraparound porch. Barr had a turreted writing room added on upstairs for her use. The original fixtures and trim, including the window screens, are still in place. In 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It has been repainted in white and black from the brown with red trim Barr favored. After continuous occupation since Barr's day, in April 2006 it became vacant, and remains so, although work is actively being done on the house as of 2007.

Location

Cornwall-on-Hudson, Orange County, New York
41.42631, -74.02352

Categories

LITERATUREARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Gatehouse on Deerhill Road
Industrial
0.2 mi
LeDoux/Healey House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Deer Hill
Industrial
0.4 mi
Canterbury Presbyterian Church
Industrial
0.7 mi
Scribner House
Industrial
0.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Fort Montgomery
1777Revolutionary War
1.5 mi
Battle of Fort Clinton
1777Revolutionary War
1.9 mi
Battle of Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery
1777Revolutionary War
7.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Barr, Amelia, House listed on the National Register?

Barr, Amelia, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Barr, Amelia, House?

Barr, Amelia, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Barr, Amelia, House?

The period of significance for Barr, Amelia, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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