Mystery Point – Old Lincoln

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Parked right next to the ruin mentioned in the previous post was this old Lincoln Continental, which according to Wikipedia:

… is a series of luxury cars produced by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. First introduced in 1939 as a coachbuilt convertible, which would spawn the personal luxury car segment, the nameplate has been in use by Lincoln at various times for 51 years. In the Lincoln model line, the Continental has served various roles, ranging from the top-trim sedan to the base-trim sedan. Through its production, the Lincoln Continental has been produced in several bodystyles, including two-door and four-door convertibles, two-door and four-door hardtops and sedans, and two-door coupes. The Lincoln Continental is the final American car factory-produced as a four-door convertible or with a V12 engine.

In 1956, Ford created a successor to the first-generation Continental with the introduction of the Continental Mark II and the separate Continental Division created to market and produce the car. As the most expensive car ever produced by Ford at the time, the Mark II lasted only through 1957 and the Continental Division was integrated into Lincoln, with the Lincoln Continental Mark series as its top-trim model. From 1961 to 1976, the Lincoln Continental was the sole model sold by the division. For 1969, Ford revived the Continental Mark series. Following the 2002 model year, the Lincoln Continental was discontinued as the division consolidated its sedan lines to the Lincoln Town Car and the recently introduced Lincoln LS.

After a 15-year production hiatus, the Lincoln Continental returned to production for 2017, serving as the successor for the Lincoln MKS. The new Continental made its debut as a concept car at the 2015 New York Auto Show. The 2017 Lincoln Continental is a four-door sedan based on an extended-wheelbase version of the Ford CD4 platform shared with the seventh-generation Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKZ.

I don’t know cars, but to me this looks like it’s from the 1970s and my research leads me to conclude possibly a Mark V?

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Mystery Point – Ruin

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I’m a sucker for ruins and I found this one while returning up Mystery Point Road. From where the trail returns to the the mansion, you cross the bridge of the Metro North Track and follow Mystery Point Road to the right. It’s a short way down on the right. I’ve no idea what it was, but it’s definitely not abandoned. There are clear signs that it’s under renovation. It’s probably associated with the mansion and is being restored at the same time.

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What once was the interior. Now open to the elements.

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A doorway.

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A window on the interior

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Three doors in a wall.

Mystery Point – A walk along the river

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The narrow, rocky trail high above the river offers some spectacular Hudson views. Here the river with Sugarloaf Hill in the background.

According to Wikipedia:

Sugarloaf Hill is a peak along the Hudson River in Putnam County, New York, part of the Hudson Highlands. It was named by the Dutch for its resemblance in outline to a sugarloaf when sailing up the river towards it. Sugarloaf Hill is in fact a ridge, running northeast and southwest, close to the east shore of the Hudson. The peak of Castle Rock lies off the northeast end of the ridge, while NY 9D runs along the west side. A small stream runs along the southeast side and flows into the Hudson, while to the northwest, the ground declines gently to the Hudson. The hill is about 760 feet (230 m) high at its summit, towards the middle of the ridge. A red-blazed trail climbs its western side, and then runs along the ridge, across the summit, to end at a viewpoint over the Hudson of about 700 feet (210 m) elevation.

…

Beverley, the house of Col. Beverley Robinson, was built at the foot of the peak in 1758. Robinson, a Tory, lost his house and estates there to confiscation in 1777. It was used as a headquarters by several American generals during the Revolution, and Benedict Arnold chose to dwell there when he took command of West Point in 1780. It was at Beverley that Arnold learned of the capture of John André and the failure of his treason, and fled thence to HMS Vulture.

Beverley later passed into the hands of Hamilton Fish, and was destroyed by a fire in 1892. The hill was donated by the Osborn family to the Taconic State Park Commission in 1974, and now forms part of the Osborn Preserve of Hudson Highlands State Park

Mystery Point – The Mansion

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According to the NY-NJ-CT Botany Online site:

This was a portion of the estate of Edward Livingston, a descendent of Philip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. 1894 — Edward Livingston purchases the property. He constructs stables and kennels for his horses and champion Irish wolfhounds. He also builds a 50 foot arched stone bridge over the railroad tracks and a dam on Copper Mine Brook that created a reservoir. 1897 — has George Frederick Pelham design a country home for him and his family. The mansion was in brick colonial revival style. 1937 — Livingston’s daughter, Clarice, sells the property. 1984 — Lee Pomeroy, a New York architect, forms the Mystery Point Associates to acquire the property. 1990 — the Associates sell the property to Open Space Institute, Inc. and Scenic Hudson, Inc. The mansion is now headquarters to Outward Bound, Inc.

Subsequently (in 2013) the house was sold to billionaire philanthropist Jon Stryker (see: Mystery Point Sold to Billionaire Philanthropist) under a conservation easement, which allows for continued public access. As of my walk in 2017 this seems to be correct. While the mansion and the grounds immediately surrounding it are private, the rest of the preserve is still open to the public. As can be seen in the picture above, the house is still undergoing renovation.

So who was Edward Livingston, the original owner? I had some difficulty finding any information about him. The Livingston’s are a very well known family in the Hudson Valley and unfortunately many of them are called Edward. Also although certainly wealthy, he does not seem to have been as distinguished as some of his forebears (e.g. the Philip Livingston mentioned above) From the date the house was built I guessed that this Edward Livingston lived from 1834-1906.

According to the New York Public Library, Archives and Manuscripts:

Edward Livingston (1834-1906) was a member of a socially prominent New York family and a businessman involved in the importation and sale of railroad materials. The Edward Livingston papers (1850s-1920s) contain personal and business records from Livingston, his siblings, and his children.

Edward Livingston (1834-1906) was a member of a socially prominent New York family and a businessman involved in the importation and sale of railroad materials. His maternal grandfather, John Lansing, Jr., was chancellor of New York.

Livingston had two children, Clarisse Hazeltine Livingston and Edward Livingston, Jr. The family had homes in Manhattan and in Putnam County, New York.

The Edward Livingston papers (1850s-1920s) document the finances and social life of an upper class New York City family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection contains personal and business records of Edward Livingston and personal records of his family, including his siblings John and Fanny Livingston, his aunt Cornelia Lansing, and his son and daughter, Edward and Clarisse Livingston.

Livingston’s business correspondence concerns his investments and related legal matters. Subjects of the correspondence include Shelby Iron Company stock, Detroit Steel and Spring Company stock, lawyer’s fees for the litigation of Jesup v. Carnegie, and terms of an agreement regarding ownership of land in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Business records include partnership agreements between Livingston, Charles L. Perkins, Henry A.V. Post, and Francis Vose, dating from 1858 to 1880. The collection contains account books of Perkins, Livingston & Co. and Perkins, Livingston & Post, dating from 1870 to 1889. The account books record the firms’ expenses, investments in railroad stocks and bonds, and purchases and sales of railroad materials. Accounts represented include the Canada Southern Railway Company, the East Alabama & Cincinnati Railroad Company, the New York & Oswego Midland Railroad Company, and Welsh company Guest & Company, whose railroad materials were imported by Livingston’s firm. Account books for Livingston’s Bank of New York account are also present.

The collection contains family letters, most of which are to John Livingston from his sister, Fanny S. Livingston, and his aunt, Cornelia Lansing. The letters discuss topics such as family members’ health, visits from friends, parties given by mutual acquaintances, and other social and family news. Transcriptions of four of Fanny Livingston’s letters are present. One letter to Edward Livingston is also present, as is an undated letter he wrote concerning membership in the Society of the Cincinnati.

The collection also contains calling cards and wedding invitations and announcements, many from prominent members of New York society, dating from the 1890s to the 1920s. Invitations are addressed to Edward and Clarisse Livingston.

The household expenses of Edward Livingston and his children are documented through receipts and invoices from New York City businesses. Invoices are for items such as stationery, clothing, housewares, and hardware, as well as for services and club memberships. Business cards, sales notices, and fliers are also present. A small account book contains a record of a trust Livingston’s established for his children.

There are a small number of photographs; they depict Edward Livingston, his children, and Cornelia Lansing.