Harkness Memorial State Park

Harkness Memorial State Park is a historic preservation area with botanical garden and recreational features located on Long Island Sound in the town of Waterford, Connecticut. The state park's 304 acres (123 ha) center around Eolia, a 42-room Renaissance Revival mansion with formal gardens and greenhouses. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.^[2]

Harkness Memorial State Park
The mansion and gardens from above
Harkness Memorial State Park Location in Connecticut Show map of Connecticut Harkness Memorial State Park Harkness Memorial State Park (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Waterford, Connecticut, United States
Coordinates	41°18′18″N 72°06′48″W
Area	304 acres (123 ha)[1]
Elevation	30 ft (9.1 m)
Established	1950
Administered by	Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Designation	Connecticut state park
Website	Official website
Eolia—The Harkness Estate
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location	Great Neck Road, Waterford, Connecticut
Area	220 acres (89 ha)
Built	1906-1907
Architect	Lord & Hewlett; et al.
Architectural style	Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Second Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.	86003331
Added to NRHP	November 20, 1986

History

The park was the former summer home of philanthropists Edward and Mary Harkness, who inherited the fortune created by Edward's father, Stephen V. Harkness, who was a substantial investor in John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. The mansion was designed by the New York architectural firm of Lord & Hewlett and constructed in 1906–1907. From 1918 to 1929, landscape designer Beatrix Jones Farrand made extensive improvements to the grounds, adding numerous formal gardens. The estate was left to the state by Mary Harkness in 1950 and became part of the state park system in 1952. Eolia—The Harkness Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as a 220-acre (89 ha) historic district with 15 contributing buildings and two other contributing structures.^[3]

Activities and amenities

The park offers mansion tours, picnicking, and shoreline fishing as well as private event rentals.^[2]

See also

• List of botanical gardens in the United States
• National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut

References

1. "Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests" (PDF). State Parks and Forests: Funding. Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. January 23, 2014. p. A-2. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
2. "Harkness Memorial State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
3. Clouette, Bruce (April 7, 1986). "Eolia—The Harkness Estate". National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved October 26, 2012. and accompanying photos from 1985 and 1986

External links

• Harkness Memorial State Park Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
• Harkness Memorial State Park Map Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
• The Friends of Harkness
• Historic photos of Eolia interiors from the Library of Congress