I first spotted one of these lanterns (first picture) shortly after we moved to Briarcliff Manor back in 1998. Interesting, I thought – wondering why such an oriental piece was outside the Congregational Church Parish House. I didn’t think much more about it until some years later when I was walking around taking pictures and noticed two more (second and third pictures) of them in the vicinity of the Congregational Church itself. Shortly after this I came across an old photograph (fourth picture) of the Briarcliff Lodge. Look what’s in the foreground. Finally one day a fourth one appeared in the town park (fifth picture). I only recently spotted the fifth one (sixth picture) in a garden a five minute walk away from where I live. I’d walked past it many times and had not seen it (in my defense it’s on private private property and mostly hidden behind bushes, but if you get the angle right you can see it from the road).

Now I was really interested but wasn’t able to find any additional information. That all changed when I recently went on an excursion to the New York Botanical Garden. The excursion included lunch and at the lunch I found myself sitting next to Karin Smith, the Executive Director of the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society. Karen spoke for a while about these lanterns. Apparently they’re quite old (more than 150 years) and they’re connected to Walter Law, the founder of the Briarcliff Manor and builder of the Briarcliff Lodge. There are six in all. I’ve only been able to find five of them. The sixth one is still in Briarcliff Manor, but it’s on private property and I don’t know where it is.

For additional information see a June, 2021 article by Kendall Hayes in River Journal entitled “A Road Map to Briarcliff Manor’s Stone Lanterns“.
https://riverjournalonline.com/…/a-road-map-to…/24751/

Above: The first one I spotted. It’s outside the Congregational Church Parish House.

This is one of two on the grounds of the Congregational Church itself. I like the decoration on this one.

This is the second one in the vicinity of the Congregational Church (seen in the background) itself. Without measuring I can’t be sure, by my impression is that it’s also larger than the others I’ve seen.

1905 picture of the Briarcliff Lodge with one of the lanterns in the foreground. I think it’s the one in the first picture.

Recently acquired lantern in Law Park, Briarcliff Manor’s town park.

I recently came across this one standing in a garden close to where I live.

Taken with a Sony A6000 and Sony FE 24mm f2.8 G.