Eolia-Harkness Estate
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Harkness Memorial State Park is a historic preservation area with
botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
and recreational features located on
Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...
in the
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
,
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. The
state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
's center around Eolia, a 42-room Renaissance Revival mansion with formal gardens and
greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...
s. The park is managed by the
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. I ...
.


History

The park was the former summer home of philanthropists Edward and Mary Harkness, who inherited the fortune created by Edward's father, Stephen V. Harkness, who was a substantial investor in
John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...
's
Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...
. The mansion was designed by the New York architectural firm of Lord & Hewlett and constructed in 1906–1907. From 1918 to 1929, landscape designer Beatrix Jones Farrand made extensive improvements to the grounds, adding numerous formal gardens. The estate was left to the state by Mary Harkness in 1950 and became part of the state park system in 1952. Eolia—The Harkness Estate was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1986 as a historic district with 15 contributing buildings and two other contributing structures.


Activities and amenities

The park offers mansion tours, picnicking, and shoreline fishing as well as private event rentals.


Gallery

Camp Harkness Waterford CT.jpg, Eolia Front View 2020.jpg, Eolia Garden 2020.jpg, Eolia Garden Fountain 2020.jpg, Long Island Sound from Harkness Park, New London, CT.jpg, NewLondonLight.jpg,


See also

*
List of botanical gardens in the United States This list is intended to include all significant botanical gardens and arboretums in the United States.National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut


References


External links


Harkness Memorial State Park
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Harkness Memorial State Park Map
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
The Friends of HarknessHistoric photos of Eolia interiors
from the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
{{authority control State parks of Connecticut
Botanical gardens in Connecticut {{Botanical gardens by location, Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state) ...
Parks in New London County, Connecticut Waterford, Connecticut Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Houses completed in 1907 Museums in New London County, Connecticut Historic house museums in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut Houses in New London County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Protected areas established in 1952 1952 establishments in Connecticut