Harkness Memorial State Park

Harkness Memorial State Park
Connecticut State Park
The mansion and gardens from above
Country  United States
State  Connecticut
County New London
Town Waterford
Elevation 30 ft (9 m) [1]
Coordinates 41°18′18″N 72°06′48″W / 41.30500°N 72.11333°W / 41.30500; -72.11333Coordinates: 41°18′18″N 72°06′48″W / 41.30500°N 72.11333°W / 41.30500; -72.11333 [1]
Area 304 acres (123 ha) [2]
Bequeathed to state 1950
 - State park 1952
Management Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Location in Connecticut
Website: Harkness Memorial State Park
Eolia—The Harkness Estate
Location Great Neck Road, Waterford, Connecticut
Area 220 acres (89 ha)
Built 1906-1907
Architect Lord & Hewlett; et al.
Architectural style Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Second Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference # 86003331
Added to NRHP November 20, 1986

Harkness Memorial State Park is a historic preservation area with botanical garden and recreational features located on Long Island Sound in the town of Waterford, Connecticut. The state park's 304 acres (123 ha) center around Eolia, a 42-room Renaissance Revival mansion with formal gardens and greenhouses. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.[3]

History

The park was the former summer home of philanthropists Edward and Mary Harkness, who inherited the fortune created by Edward's father, Stephen V. Harkness, who was a substantial investor in John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. The mansion was designed by the New York architectural firm of Lord & Hewlett and constructed in 1906-1907. From 1918 to 1929, landscape designer Beatrix Jones Farrand made extensive improvements to the grounds, adding numerous formal gardens. The estate was left to the state by Mary Harkness in 1950 and became part of the state park system in 1952. Eolia—The Harkness Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as a 220-acre (89 ha) historic district with 15 contributing buildings and two other contributing structures.[4]

Activities and amenities

The park offers mansion tours, picnicking, and shoreline fishing as well as private event rentals.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Harkness Memorial State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. ↑ "Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests" (PDF). State Parks and Forests: Funding. Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. January 23, 2014. p. A-2. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Harkness Memorial State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. September 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  4. ↑ Clouette, Bruce (April 7, 1986). "Eolia—The Harkness Estate". National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved October 26, 2012. and accompanying photos from 1985 and 1986
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