The Fresh Air Association House of St. John the Divine Historic and Archaeological District (the Fresh Air District), Tomkins Cove, New York

Summary

Tomkins Cove, a scenic, mountain-side community an hour’s drive north of New York City, was the setting of the House of the Good Shepherd orphanage (1865–1893) established and directed by Reverend Ebenezer Gay Jr. under the supervision of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. The orphanage and the later Fresh Air institutions (1894–1973) that occupied the same property on the west bank of the Hudson River relied on small monetary and other donations from the public to carry out their activities. The orphanage was a year-round home and self-sustaining farm, while the Fresh Air institutions provided a summer retreat from the stifling inner city for children, mothers of young children, and seniors. The Fresh Air District is a rarity in the state of New York: A privately-owned orphanage turned Fresh Air facility whose historic documentary record, landscape, and structural features have been studied in detail by archaeologists and architectural historians.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Poster Submission 2018   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 867