How to Use
the Map

Table of
Contents

Map 1: New York State and surrounding region.

In 1895, Frederick Vanderbilt (grandson of the Commodore) and his wife Louise purchased a 600-acre estate in Hyde Park, New York, for use during the spring and fall social seasons and an occasional winter weekend. When the existing house on the property proved unsound, the Vanderbilts demolished it and constructed a new house on the same spot, high on a hill along the banks of the Hudson River. Aside from its stunning views of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains, the Hyde Park estate was well-known in the area for the beauty of its designed landscape. Previous owners had developed the site into a horticultural showplace. The variety of trees and plants on the property appealed to Frederick Vanderbilt's love of nature. The Vanderbilts' neighbors included prominent families like the Astors and the Roosevelts.

Questions for Map 1

1. Why do you think so many wealthy families chose to build houses along the Hudson River between New York City and Albany?

2. Use the map scale to measure the approximate distance between Hyde Park and New York City. Why might Frederick Vanderbilt have wanted his "country retreat" in this region?

* The map on this screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of Map 1, but be aware that the file may take as much as 20 seconds to load with a 28.8K modem.