Amelia Barr House
Encyclopedia
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
, USA. 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 novel
s 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 turret
ed writing room added on upstairs for her use. The original fixtures and trim, including the window screen
s, 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 .
Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
Amelia Edith Barr in Ulverston, Lancashire, England, died March 10, 1919) was a British American novelist.-Biography:...
House, also known as Cherry Croft, is located on Mountain Road in Cornwall on Hudson, a village in Orange County
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. It is on the slopes of Storm King Mountain, near Storm King School
Storm King School
Established as the Cornwall Heights School in 1867 by Louis P. Ledoux, an Amherst graduate and pastor of the Cornwall Presbyterian Church, the school was later known as the Stone School during the time it was directed by Dr. Carlos H. Stone. In 1923, during the tenure of Headmaster Alvan P...
. 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
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
who came to the United States from Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
at the age of 19, moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the early 1870s with her daughters from Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, after her husband and six of her nine children died of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
. There she began to write fiction. In 1885 she and her daughters began spending summers at a boardinghouse in Cornwall. Her novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s 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
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
to be cared for by her daughter Lilly.
Mead and White's renovations resulted in a 3,500-square foot (315 m²) three-storey
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
home with six bedrooms, four bathrooms, library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, living room
Living room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
and dining room
Dining room
A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...
. It has a 1,000-square foot (90 m²) wraparound porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
. Barr had a turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
ed writing room added on upstairs for her use. The original fixtures and trim, including the window screen
Window screen
A window screen, insect screen or bug screen is a metal wire, fiberglass, or other synthetic fiber mesh, stretched in a frame of wood or metal, designed to cover the opening of an open window. Its primary purpose is to keep leaves, debris, insects, birds, and other animals from entering a building...
s, are still in place. In 1982 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
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 .