Seton Village is a

National Historic Landmark District A National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) is a geographical area that has received recognition from the United States Government that the buildings, landscapes, cultural features and archaeological resources within it are of the highest signific ...

in a rural residential area south of Santa Fe in

Santa Fe County Santa Fe County (; meaning "County of the Holy faith" in Spanish) is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, its population was 154,823, making it New Mexico's third-most populous county, after Bernalillo Count ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, United States. It encompasses a residential settlement and educational facility established in 1930 by

Ernest Thompson Seton Ernest Thompson Seton (born Ernest Evan Thompson; August 14, 1860 – October 23, 1946) was a Canadian and American author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 (renamed Woodcraft League of America), and one of the foun ...

(1860-1946), an educator and conservationist best known as a founder of the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

. The district includes the remains of Seton's 32-room home and other residential and educational buildings constructed mostly between 1930 and 1945. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1965. and

Description

Seton Village is located approximately south of downtown Santa Fe and west of

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25), also known as the Pan-American Freeway, is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 st ...

on County Road 58. The village has a central plaza, ringed by adobe residences and community buildings. To the east of the plaza stand the remains of Seton's 32-room castle, which burned during restoration in 2005. Distinctive structures in the village include two buildings that were built around railroad cars that Seton brought to the site. Stripped of their interiors, the two cars were finished plaster on the inside, and had adobe walls built around them. One of these buildings has since had the car removed from its inside.

Seton Castle

Seton began designing and building his castle in 1933. The 32-room, 6,900 square foot (640 m²) multi-level building had a flat-roof and rough hewn stone wall exterior. The interior had oak floors and plaster walls with the ceilings supported by log rafters. The Castle was built on one of the highest points on Seton's property, with views over his village and the western landscape.

Community activities

The Village was home to the Seton Institute, including the Woodcraft League and the College of Indian Wisdom, which provided Woodcraft and

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

leaders with a variety of training opportunities. The Institute closed at the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. At Seton's invitation, Maurice and Marceil Taylor moved their printing equipment to New Mexico in 1938 and set up the Seton Village Press. The Village Press closed in 1943, also because of the war.

Seton Village today

Seton Village is designated a

and a New Mexico State Cultural Property. The Academy for the Love of Learning, an educational organization which owns the property, preserved the castle ruins as a "contemplative garden." The Academy's Seton Legacy Project maintains a collection of art and archives pertaining to Ernest Thompson Seton. The Academy Campus, including the Seton art gallery, opened in 2011.Sharpe, Tom
"Seton Castle: An academy rises from the ruins"
''

The Santa Fe New Mexican file:Santa Fe New Mexican 1868-11-24.jpg, alt=front page of a broadsheet newspaper, front page of ''The Daily New Mexican'' for 24 November 1868 ''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' or simply ''The New Mexican'' is a daily newspaper published in Sant ...

'', Santa Fe, NM, 10 October 2010. Retrieved on 01 November 2012. The village has a view of the

Jemez Mountains The Jemez Mountains (, Tewa: ''Tsąmpiye'ip'įn'', Navajo: ''Dził Łizhinii'') are a group of mountains in Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Los Alamos counties, New Mexico, United States. Numerous Puebloan Indian tribes have lived in the Jemez Moun ...

and Mount Taylor.

Education

It is within

Santa Fe Public Schools Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS) is a school district based in Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. ...

References

External links

*
Academy for the Love of Learning

Seton Village site at the NPS

Ernest Thompson Seton Institute
* http://www.stateparks.com/seton_village.html

{{authority control National Historic Landmarks in New Mexico Geography of Santa Fe County, New Mexico History of Santa Fe County, New Mexico Historic American Buildings Survey in New Mexico Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in Santa Fe, New Mexico Unincorporated communities in Santa Fe County, New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in Santa Fe County, New Mexico Unincorporated communities in New Mexico