This is one of Briarcliff Manor’s famous stone lanterns.
It was long believed that W.W. Law (the founder of Briarcliff Manor) imported them by 1902 from the Far East with the assistance of some Christian missionaries. The lanterns were the “finishing touch” on several of Law’s projects. It seems that the lanterns originated in Japan but came to us via China. The prevailing opinion is that they were brought by missionaries. However, this may not be the case. Based on evidence that the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society (BMSHS) has discovered, we now believe that the lanterns were brought back by members of the Law family who were in China at that time. This one stands in the Village Park: Law Park. According to the BMSHS Website:
The Briarcliff Lodge initially had a nine-hole golf course which extended from Central Drive West to the top of Central Drive to Dalmeny Road. (Later the course extended to 18 holes across 9A to the undeveloped land, subsequently named the Crossways.) This lantern had been on the first 9-hole portion since the early 1900s. In 2018 the Sears family who lived there gave our intern, Nathan Feist, an opportunity to photograph all aspects of the lantern and he did an in-depth study of its iconography.
In anticipation of the family’s move to Connecticut in 2020, they made a gift of the lantern jointly to BMSHS and the Village. In addition, they gave us a corroded 50 yard-marker they had found buried in an area they determined had previously been a sand trap. “I couldn’t get anything to grow there for the life of me!” Mayor Vescio and Village Manager Zegarelli supported us on every step of the way to the installation of this lantern in Law Park, as you see it today. On Tuesday 20 September 2022 the official ceremony to welcome this lantern to our town park, Law Park took place. See below for some pictures taken at the ceremony.
For more on the lanterns see: The Story of the Stone Lanterns – Notebook Vol. 2023-3
Taken with a Panasonic Lumix GX85 and Leica DG Summilux 15mm f1.7
