Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Teatown Adds 59 Acres and a Lake

Last week the Teatown Lake Reservation finalized the long-planned purchase of the Croft Estate, adding 59 adjacent acres to the reservation's 834 acres. The property, which Tetaown purchased for $3 Million, includes 9 acre Vernay Lake and over 1.5 miles of existing trails. The estate was originally created in the early 1900s by Arthur Vernay, an antiques dealer, and was purchased in 1922 by Gerard Swope, the president of General Electric. His heirs gave most of the estate, including the stable complex, to create the Teatown Lake Reservation, which was founded in 1963. The 72 acres on the east of Spring Valley Road that included the Swope residence and a farmhouse were sold to Phil E. Gilbert, Jr., who lived there until his death in 2008. Mr. Gilbert’s heirs had wanted to ensure the conservation of the property as part of Teatown. (An independent property, which includes the residences, is being sold separately.) The acquisition of the Croft estate connects Teatown with the County-owned Shadow Lake Preserve, a 50-acre tract on the north side of Route 134 which is already managed by Teatown. Teatown said that it would be working with the County and with the Town of Yorktown to ensure that the Croft property is integrated with both the town's and the county's existing trail systems, as well as with the rest of the reservation.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This looks great. I can't wait to hike the new trails!