We visited Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, which is located on Lloyd Neck, a peninsula into Long Island Sound. The following two posters present a history of the property, which became a state park in 1961.
Poster at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
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Poster at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
The property included a number of historic buildings, including a dairy farm:
Gurnsey Dairy Farm
The polo stable was designed by John Russell Pope in the manner of Christopher Wren. The exterior was restored in 2010, and continues to provide boarding services:
Polo stable
While there are allegedly miles of trails at the park, in four separate loops, we did not find them to be marked in any way, and with the snow cover it was all but impossible to find the trails. We therefore walked along the roads for the most part.
We came to the main house. None of the buildings appeared to be open to visitors.
Main House
The map indicated that there was a trail down to the shore to the left of the main house, and we did follow a few others who were walking in that direction. A hill led down to a fresh pond, with Long Island Sound behind it:
Fresh pond and Long Island Sound
Batya and I carefully descended the snowy slope:
Hiking down toward the Fresh Pond
We continued descending the hill, circling around the fresh pond and coming to the shore of Long Island Sound, where I snapped a few shots that I stitched together into a panorama:
Shore of Long Island Sound
In theory we could have followed the shore to the left (west) onto a narrow point, but it was a cold and windy day, and before long we left the shore, climbing again into the trees, which provided some shelter from the wind. We found a giant tree stump (cut by a saw, the tree missing), and used that as a table for our lunches, eating standing:
Snowy day in the woods
So we had at least a tiny hike, but this is not a park where one should expect to be able to “lose himself in the woods.” Long Island is obviously relatively flat, and much of this park has been cleared for buildings, roads, pasture, and stables. That leaves some wooded areas, but it’s no Harriman.
We returned to the road and walked down to the southern part of the park, which has incorporated the Henry Lloyd Manor House, built in 1711. I hadn’t realized that I was standing at the rear of the house, or else I would have circled around to have photographed the front.
Henry Lloyd Manor House, Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
We then returned to the parking lot, passing the dairy once again, where I photographed a few agricultural relics:
Agricultural relics at the dairy farm
It was nice to get out and walk in the snow.