I’d been to the Lasdon Park and Arboretum a couple of times: once for an antiques fair; and once for a concert. This time I wanted to take a look at something I’d bumped into while browsing the internet: the Trail of Honor.
According to the Park’s website:
The Lasdon estate, originally called Cobbling Rock Farm, was acquired by William and Mildred Lasdon in 1939. The main house of the estate was built in 1933 by Dr. Voislawsky after the original house was destroyed by a fire. The house is modeled after George Washington’s home in Virginia.
William Lasdon is known for establishing a major pharmaceutical company and for his philanthropist endeavors. The Lasdon estate was simply used as a country retreat. The Lasdon family had great interest in horticulture and loved to travel. Along these travels, they brought back many tree specimens and planted them at the estate.
In 1976, William Lasdon created the Mildred D. Lasdon Bird and Nature Sanctuary. This is a twenty-two acre preserve which was donated to the county. There is an intricate system of trails that run through an array of wildlife habitats. Many different species of birds, and up to twenty different types of warblers can be observed there during migration.
When William Lasdon died in 1986, Westchester County purchased the estate for $4.2 million. Several companies were interested in using the 234 acres to put up condominiums. The county wanted to obtain this land in order to preserve the land and history of the area. For the most part, the formal grounds remain as they were designed initially. Westchester County has been continuously developing and embellishing the collections on the property.
The William and Lasdon Memorial Garden site was donated by their daughter, Mrs. Nanette Laitman. This is the main garden present at the front of the estate. It is a one-acre garden created in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Lasdon.
The two busts (above) of William and Mildred Lasdon stand at the entrance of the Lason Memorial Garden.
The Lasdon Garden Shop.
All pictures in this series taken with a Sony A77 II and Minolta 50mm f1.7.