Woods

Parcels of land from several 18th and 19th century estates can be found in the Irvington Woods. They include the homes of Cyrus W. Field, a successful businessman and financier who created the Atlantic Telegraph Company and laid the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean in 1858; Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War general and kinsman of Alexander Hamilton; and Isaac Stern, one of three brothers who founded Stern Brothers Department Store in 1868 in New York City. Throughout the woods are remnants from these estates, including stone terraces, benches, steps and walls. Several of the trails within the system were initially carriage roads for these estates.

Cyrus W. Field was the entrepreneur who spearheaded the plan to lay a 1,250-mile cable under the Atlantic Ocean, providing the first telegraphic communication between America and Europe. As the head of a paper company, he amassed wealth that was used to finance his idea, which he began to pursue before the Civil War. Field persevered despite enormous difficulties and several failed attempts, completing the project in July 1866. The U.S. Congress recognized his efforts and awarded him a gold medal. Field’s 780-acre estate filled a large portion of the Irvington Woods. He named it “Ardsley,” after his English ancestral home, and resided here from 1868 until he died in 1892 at the age of 72. The plaque commemorating the 1931 opening of Cyrus Field Road remains affixed to a rock formation on the side of the road about 200 yards from the south parking lot.

Within the past year and a half, there have been many cleanups in the Irvington Woods. Photos of these community efforts are below:
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