Welcome to Wethersfield
A Hidden Eden in the Hudson Valley
Photographs by Pieter Estersohn
By Clementina Verge
Atop a hill in Amenia, where the Berkshires, Taconics, and Catskills converge, lies a sanctuary of cultivated elegance and vision: Wethersfield Estate & Garden, the country home of the late Chauncey Devereux Stillman. More than just a retreat from Manhattan’s clamor, this 1,000-acre estate reflects a Renaissance-inspired philosophy rooted in art, stewardship, and spiritual reflection.
A graduate of Harvard and Columbia, Stillman led a life of cultivated pursuits: naval intelligence officer, philanthropist, art collector, equestrian, and environmentalist. In 1937, he acquired a stretch of untamed Dutchess County land, initially as a fox hunting ground. Over the next five decades, Wethersfield matured into one of America’s preeminent classical estates—a testament to the harmony of design, nature, and intellect.
“He loved beauty, but not just for prettiness’ sake,” reflects Bernadette Murray, a trustee of Wethersfield. “He believed the intersection of art, science, architecture, and conservation is what deeply nourishes the human spirit.”
Stillman’s vision took root with the construction of an equestrian complex. The Georgian Revival home followed, designed by L. Bancel LaFarge. Stately yet unpretentious—much like its owner—Wethersfield holds giclées of his world-class collection of European art, including paintings by family friend Mary Cassatt and murals by Italian fresco painter Pietro Annigoni, who spent two years at Wethersfield. Yet it is the gardens that truly captivate. Created over decades with landscape architect Evelyn Poehler—who formed her Italian Renaissance vision solely from books—the 10-acre formal gardens are a masterclass in symmetry and serenity. Green “rooms” echo the home’s layout, drawing visitors through a labyrinth of clipped yews, sculpture-framed arches, and gentle water features. Color is used with restraint and intention: spring rhododendrons, purple coneflower, waterlilies, and delicate bleeding hearts that dangle like jeweled pendants. Stillman’s favorite hue, fuchsia, punctuates the landscape in potted displays. A grape arbor forms an al fresco dining room off the main house, while a reflecting pool anchors the southern vista. Nearby, an arborvitae allee leads to a naiad fountain by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles. Every detail tells a story, from living room wood paneling salvaged from a Vermont courthouse, to garden Belgian blocks once laid on a New York City street.
Beyond the formal gardens, Wethersfield offers another kind of grandeur: ecological foresight. Decades before sustainability entered cultural conversations, Stillman and longtime property manager Owen Boyd began implementing conservation farming methods inspired by the environmental devastation of the Dust Bowl. From contour farming to pond irrigation, their innovations earned visits and praise from the United Nations Scientific Conference on Conservation.
Miles of trails wind through native woodlands dotted with marble statuary—nymphs, centaurs, mythological beasts, and the impressive Belvedere, a temple of six Corinthian columns. Twenty miles of carriage roads meander through fields and forests, once used by Stillman for fox hunting and carriage driving. Though of considerable wealth and influence—he served as director of the New York Botanical Garden and was a New York Zoological Society trustee—Stillman shunned opulence in favor of education and environmental conservation. In a May 11, 1971, letter to family, Stillman expressed his desire for Wethersfield to remain open space, “a refuge for the animals and birds indigenous to the region” that would be “maintained and on view to the public under some arrangement that would preserve the objects intact, without interfering with the wildlife.” That legacy continues. Today, Wethersfield hosts artist residencies, concerts, and educational programs for horticultural interns. Guests are welcomed by appointment, preserving the estate’s promise of privacy and tranquility. “This home was Mr. Stillman’s lifelong passion,” Murray notes. “Our hope is that visitors experience it just as he envisioned—with appreciation, wonder, and joy.” A National Register of Historic Places destination, Wethersfield remains a living canvas where art, architecture, and landscape inspire awe and quiet transformation.—wethersfield.org
