REGISTER TODAY FOR OUR EXCITING UPCOMING EVENTS!!!
.png/:/cr=t:2.37%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:95.27%25/rs=w:1209,h:1612,cg:true)
Croquet, Cookies and Lemonade
Join the Merestead Conservancy for our second annual Cookies, Lemonade and Croquet event on Sunday, October 5, 3-5PM, complete with live music and, this year, gourmet homemade ice cream included!
Why cookies and croquet? Well, William Sloane's daughter, Margaret was born in 1910 and died in 2000 at the age of 90. Margaret married Robert Lee Patterson, Jr., a prominent orthopedic surgeon in New York City and often hosted local neighbors serving cookies and lemonade in the gardens. We have reestablished this tradition to the delight of Merestead friends and family.
$40/$75/$100 donation per person. Rain or shine.
TAKE A HIKE - LITERALLY!
On Sunday, October 19, 2025, we invite you to participate in Merestead Conservancy’s Take-A-Hike Day to help us celebrate two brand new connections in the Northern Westchester Interconnected Trail System. Choose from four different hikes, each led by an experienced hiker, which will converge on Merestead around noon. Pack a lunch or visit the food truck when you arrive, enjoy fun music and gorgeous views before hiking back to your starting location. The hikes are:
- Meyer Preserve Long Hike to Merestead
- Butler Sanctuary to Merestead
- Leonard Park Tea House to Merestead via the Marsh Sanctuary
- Meyer Preserve Short Hike to Merestead
Start times and difficulty vary, so click on each for more information. Before you choose a hike, remember that at least some portion of every hike involves some significant uphill trail hiking. If this sounds like it may be too daunting, consider parking at the Merestead carriage house parking lot and take your time walking up the carriage road from the 1860s farmhouse to the top of the park around. Remember, with the exception of Hike No. 2 from Butler Sanctuary, the hike back to your original trailhead will be downhill or flat. Rain or shine. Advanced registration required.
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.
Want to support Merestead? Consider a donation.
We are dedicated to improving the lives of those in our community. Your contribution today helps us make a difference.
