Seton Village is a

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

in a rural residential area south of Santa Fe in

Santa Fe County Santa Fe County ( es, Condado de Santa Fe; meaning ''Holy faith'' in Spanish) is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 144,170, making it New Mexico's third-most populous county, after Bernalillo C ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

, 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 an English-born Canadian-American author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 (renamed Woodcraft League of America), and one of ...

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

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth partici ...

. 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 building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1965. and

Description

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

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25) 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 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mex ...

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

Seton Castle, at Seton Village, New Mexico by David L

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

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth Social movement, movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hik ...

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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 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 The Academy for the Love of Learning is a non-profit organization conceived by American composers Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Stern. The Academy was incorporated as a 501(c)3 in 1998. Its campus is located in southeast Santa Fe, NM, on the former es ...

, 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 ''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' or simply ''The New Mexican'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dubbed "the West's oldest newspaper," its first issue was printed on November 28, 1849. Background The downtown offices for ''T ...

'', Santa Fe, NM, 10 October 2010. Retrieved on 01 November 2012. The village has a view of the Jemez Mountains 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 Public Schools serves the city of Santa Fe, the communities of Tesuque and Eldorado, and the historic neighborhood of Agua Fria, and other communities wi ...

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