- Joined
- Jan 7, 2013
- Location
- Long Island, NY
William Cullen Bryant was one of the most prominent thought leaders in mid-19th Century America. As editor of the New York Evening Post, an abolitionist, a defender of immigrants and religious minorities, he became a leading progressive voice within the Democratic Party and later joined the Republicans because of his opposition to slavery. His most prominent memorial is Bryant Park in Manhattan where the New York Public Library is located, but his home on Long Island is open on a limited schedule and the beautiful grounds are always available for a stroll.
The house is now home to the Hagedorn Foundation, which supports services for immigrants and people of color in the region, and which indirectly supported my research for The Immigrants' Civil War series. I have been there dozens of times for meetings, but as the staff notes, it is always raining when I come. Yesterday, which was the closing meeting of the soon-to-be-defunct foundation, I attended a meeting there. It was raining. Oh well.
Finally, as the meeting ended, I saw the rain had stopped. This was it. My last chance to photograph the house with all-access had arrived, and I decided to take it.