Take a trip into the past at Locust Grove estate

By Lee Park
Poughkeepsie Journal

Locust Grove, The Samuel F.B. Morse Historic Site • House tours and park-like grounds. • 2683 South Road (Route 9), Poughkeepsie. • Phone: Call (845) 454-4500. • Hours: Grounds are open from 8 p.m. to dusk, weather permitting. The house is open daily for tours from May 1 to Thanksgiving, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Garden tours and group house tours are scheduled by appointment. • Admission: Adults, $5; seniors, $4; students, $2; groups of 10 or more, $4. • Web site: www.morsehistoricsite.org Related story • Morse's genius sparks a revolution

Anybody who drives south on Route 9 from Poughkeepsie probably has seen the new visitors center at Locust Grove, the Samuel F.B. Morse Historic Site.

But that's just the beginning of the journey into the history, elegance and beauty that encompasses the estate.

Morse, the inventor of the electromagnetic telegraph, lived at Locust Grove from 1847 to 1872, when he died at the age of 81. After that, William and Martha Young began renting the estate as their summer home and eventually bought it from Morse's relatives in 1901.

The Youngs were aware of who had lived there before and were careful to preserve it during their tenure at the estate.

''The Youngs fortunately kept very detailed notes of events that they held here,'' said Marcia Murray, tour guide at Locust Grove.

The house remained occupied until 1975, when Annette Innis Young, William and Martha's daughter, died after living at Locust Grove for 80 years.

At the time of her death, she established a trust to preserve and protect the estate for the public to enjoy. Since 1979, Locust Grove has been offering tours, lectures and special events. The recently completed visitors center better enables the site to provide those services

Inside the impressive home, visitors can view a wide array of beautiful artwork and furniture. Attention should be paid to all of the smaller intricacies that adorn the house. For instance, each floor has a small wooden box with a bell on it. Bells were put throughout the house so Martha Young could summon servants more efficiently.

''When a bell was rung, a little slot would drop down in each one of those boxes located on each floor, indicating to the servants which room to respond to,'' said Murray. ''The Youngs had around six or eight servants, while during Morse's time there were about a dozen.''

Artifacts from around the world, collected during the Youngs' travels, are located throughout the home. On the walls, an elaborate display of exquisite paintings and photographs hang, giving the visitor much to view during the tour. One example is a series of postcard-sized paintings of famous composers.

Locust Grove, the Samuel F.B. Morse Historic Site

''This was a hobby during the Victorian period,'' said Murray. ''What people did was they collected pictures of whatever the theme happened to be -- in this case it was composers -- the same way that people collected baseball cards or Pokemon cards. They would trade them back and forth.''

Other contents of Locust Grove offer glimpses into the lifestyle of the time period. A large mirror hangs in the pantry, facing the dining room so that Martha Young could glance in during a meal and make a single motion to summon a servant. This was done so Young wouldn't have to make an elaborate gesture to get the servant's attention.

The house's collection is unique because of the number of artifacts that are true to Locust Grove's heritage.

Lauri Martin, acting curator of education and public programs said, ''99.9 percent of the collection is authentic to the Youngs. It was partially due to the fact that they were living in Morse's house. They knew that someday someone would be interested in the material.''

The house tour takes between 45 minutes to an hour, and involves detailed descriptions of each room. After the tour, visitors should allow plenty of time to walk the grounds and take in all that Locust Grove has to offer. The gardens are a highlight of Locust Grove. Planned by Morse, the shrubs, trees and flowers all complete the preserved setting. The grounds contain more than 150 acres, making Locust Grove the largest nature preserve between Cold Spring and Hyde Park.

During the winter, Locust Grove will host, for the first time, an ice skating rink, weather permitting.

''You should be able to see it from Route 9,'' said Martin. ''We're going to line a portion of the grounds and flood it, where people will be able to skate at their own risk.''

Each year, Locust Grove takes on the Christmas spirit. The house is decorated with the theme ''White Christmas'' and self-guided house tours are available, with live music inside. After Dec. 31, however, the house will be closed until May. The grounds will remain open, and cross-country skiing will be permitted on the grounds. Sledding is not.

''There is more to do here than see an old house,'' said Martin. ''We really want people to know that the grounds are just beautiful here. We'd love it if (the local community) would come to take a walk. Now that we have (the visitors center) visible from Route 9, we're starting to get some local attention.''