The Old House in Tarrytown, NY

[Midnite]

JosettebyCandlelight, one of our newest members, passed along that Rob Yasinac's Spratt House page has been updated to include some FABULOUS photos of "the Old House," including a postcard image of the actual front (South side) of the house (!!!) that shows the steps and fountain that remain as ruins on the Lyndhurst property.

http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/yasinsac/spratt/spratt.html

I took these photos on 8/18/07:

[Bobubas]

I took these photos on 9/18/07:

Great photos. Did you use Quentin's Stairway through time to transport yourself two weeks into the future to take these? 

[Midnite]

LOL, I should fix that...

 


Psst, thank you for your help!

[Brandon Collins]

Where were these ruins on the property? I tried looking for them, but couldn't find them.

[Mark Rainey]

The ruins are just south of the main house and stables. From the stables, there's a walking trail that goes into the woods, and the ruins are on the right (the river side of the trail), I'm thinking about four- to five-hundred yards down. They're pretty hard to see with all the foliage growing over everything.

Tell you what, I'll make an aerial composite of the site and label it.

Here tis.

[Brandon Collins]

Wow. That's quite a ways down there. No wonder I didn't find it. Too bad. Maybe if I get up there sometime in the future I"ll go looking around down there. I just went around up by the house and the greenhouse and the stables where everyone else was. But I did see the trail that leads down to it, just decided not to go down it. Aw shucks!

[CastleBee]

How interesting!  When I was there in '04 I wondered where it was and thought I had an idea.  But  I was way off.  I just stayed in the main part of the grounds...hope to get back one day.  Thanks for the photos!

[CastleBee]

I just noticed this when I looked back at the aerial view...on the far bottom left is that the parking lot for the Sunnyside (Washington Irving) estate?  It kind of looks like it to me...even looks like the garden located just above.  If so, I was closer to the Old House ruins than I thought since I took that tour.

[arashi]

Thanks for the link. What a beautiful house it was! It's a shame it burned down, can you imagine the DS mecca it would be today if it still stood?

[Midnite]

I'll make an aerial composite of the site and label it.

John in NC and I remember being closer to the Hudson and the RR.  We parked near the carriage house/stables and caught the trail further up the road (in the direction of the bowling alley, which is off your map and behind the mansion), walked in maybe a 1/4 of a mile, headed southwest until we came to the chain link fence and followed it to the right until we saw the ruins, which (as I recall) put them about halfway down your map on the left side.

[Midnite]

I really like this map by John in NC using the same Google image.

The first vertical line leading from the paved road is a trail and the rest is through woods.

[Mark Rainey]

Ah yes, you know what -- you're quite right. I was thinking when we went to them we headed straight toward the Irving property on the longer trail. Last night, as I was looking at the map, it seemed farther than I remembered, yet the aerial view of the "ruins" looked right. It's been eight years, I think, since going down there, so my memory is the foggy one.

[Midnite]

No problem, Mark.  Ask me for directions in 8 years and you'll see my eyes glaze over.

[Janet the Wicked]

Did ya'll swipe a brick from The Old House? I have one...

[Gothick]

Wow, what gorgeous images on Rob Yasinac's page.  Thanks for sharing that link, and the great shots, Midnite!

G.