Steepletop

Situated on East Hill Road on 202 acres of steep and rolling terrain in the Taconic Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains is the former estate of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) and her husband Eugen Boissevain (1880-1949). Originally 615 acres, the couple purchased the farmland in 1925, renovating a preexisting Victorian home (1892) and guest cottage (1830) while adding several new structures, including a writing cabin and prefabricated Sears & Roebuck barn (1930). They operated the land as a working farm and utilized stone ruins from a former barn’s foundation to create seven outdoor “rooms,” which included rose gardens, an iris garden, pergola, outdoor flagstone bar, spring-fed swimming pool, and a badminton court (“dingle”). 

In 2005 the State of New York purchased 400 acres of Steepletop as forest conservation land; the remaining acreage comprises 138 acres north of East Hill Road and 64 acres downhill on the south side of the road. Two crushed stone drives on the north side of East Hill Road provide access to the main house from the east and west. The rolling landscape surrounding the main grouping of buildings and gardens consists of a stream and pond, grassy fields, expansive meadows covered in wildflowers with borrowed views of the Lebanon Valley, and dense forests of evergreen and deciduous trees (including pine and birch). On the property’s northern side is a half-mile woodland walk, (now called the Poetry Trail) that leads to a grove of pine trees and mountain laurel shrubs where Millay and her family are laid to rest. 

In 2011 a Cultural Landscape Report was developed by Pressley Associates documenting the landscapes evolution over time and prescribing planning and treatment recommendation as the property transitioned to public visitation. Since then, rehabilitation efforts have included restoring the historic gardens and stabilizing the structures. 

Steepletop was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.