What is the Merestead Conservancy?
Merestead Conservancy is the friends group of Merestead, the historic Sloane family estate, located in Bedford, NY. In coordination with Merestead's owners, the Westchester County Department of Parks and Recreation, the Conservancy supports its many features, including its historic main house, farm house, dairy barn and interconnected trails.
Merestead Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) organization. 100% of all donations are tax deductible.
What is Merestead?
Merestead was a country estate designed for a gracious, and elegant lifestyle. Built at a time when automobiles were replacing the horse, the estate reflects the elegance associated with a love of horses. The doorbells were designed at a height for ringing when one would be sitting on a horse and there were horse trails that ran throughout the estate that have been restored.
Merestead is an exquisite country mansion tucked away in the hills overlooking the surrounding valley. Here you can imagine the elegance of life on a 130-acre estate with a staff of 12 to keep everything running smoothly.
The Merestead property is the former estate of Mrs. Margaret Sloane Patterson, daughter of William Sloane, President of W and J Sloane, and her husband Dr. Robert Patterson, a prominent orthopedic surgeon in New York City. Merestead features a 28-room Georgian mansion with beautiful gardens built during the early 20th century. In 1982, the Pattersons deeded the property to Westchester County, and upon Mrs. Patterson’s death in August of 2000, Westchester took full possession of the property.
Hiking trails are open daily 8 a.m. to dusk. As you explore this 2.3-mile system of trails, you’ll meander through woodlands, open fields and gardens that offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the northeast. Some of the trails are original to the property and were utilized by the Patterson family during the early part of the century and follow along old farm roads. Thanks to the efforts of park staff and the County’s Youth Conservation Corps, these old trails were rehabilitated and several new trails were developed during the summer of 2003.
Highlights along the trail include bridges that are remnants of 100-year-old farm bridges, restored fieldstone root cellars, the masonry milk spring, the old pet cemetery, and two Chinese lantern statuaries that lead the way to a magnificent vista of the Hudson Highlands. With its high terrain and varying habitats, Merestead is also an ideal site for watching local resident birds and migrating species throughout the year.
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