Among Rosslyn’s many incarnations prior to becoming our home, she was once the J. C. Coatsworth residence. I know nothing more than this homeowner’s name and the condition of the property’s exterior during his ownership.
These photographs and postcard(s) originally surfaced in albums compiled by George McNulty, offering glimpses into this storied landmark’s appearance shortly after turn-of-the-century.
As J. C. Coatsworth residence. Postcard cancelled 17 December 1907. The porches and porte-cochere were added by Walmsley c. 1903. — George McNulty
I’ve expanded this collection of historic images over the years, but these (together with notes accompanying them) remain poignant reminders of the fascination and the intrigue I experience as I began to compile Rosslyn artifacts into some semblance of context, meaning, precedent, and possibility. Little-by-little a map forward began to coalesce, often informed by my patchwork understanding of what had come before.
I find myself wondering about the people absent from these flashback photos. What did they look like? What did they behave like? We’re there children? Lawn parties? Vegetable garden? Lawn games? If I could touch the image like a contemporary iPhone “live” photo to watch a short micro video, what would I see and hear?
We were recently told by one of our realtors after a showing that the visiting family had asked about us, noting that most personal photographs had been removed for showings. It struck me as a peculiar interest at first. And then I reflected on the years of curiosity I’ve experienced for Rosslyn’s earlier residents. Perhaps that’s a natural and inevitable response to inheriting a home with a long history and evolving uses.
Maybe there’s an AI photo-to-video solution here…
I love these and wonder if there are similar ones of Braidlea Farm from that era.
We miss you
Miss you too. I definitely have Braidlea Farm images from way back, but scattered. Will try to gather them for you.
Thanks for sharing this history! My great aunt and uncle (Chalmer & Florence Sherwood) were former owners of the Inn. Many years ago, in the late 1970s or early 1980s, my grandmother came to visit me in Charlotte, Vermont and we took the ferry over to Essex, New York. We walked down the street and she remembered it right away. The owners at the time had converted it to a private home, but when they saw us looking at the house from the street they invited us in and my grandmother gave a little more history. She loved seeing it. Just curious if you have any additional history on the Inn?
Thanks for your comment, Elizabeth. What an exciting personal connection to this property! I’d love to learn more about any memories or anecdotes you might be able to share.
In answer to your question about the property’s history, much of this website has been dedicated to Rosslyn’s wildly diverse two history. A few useful points of entry would be the archive of posts related directly or indirectly to the Sherwood Inn. (Note: Click this and subsequent links to view all archived posts related to this topic.) For example, you might enjoy this Sherwood Inn vintage brochure from the travel destination’s heyday.
And there’s plenty of history from earlier days as well, starting with the early to mid 1800s when William Daniel Ross built Rosslyn and resided in the home with his family. Late on, for a stretch, the property was know as Hyde Gate. And there are also plenty of quirky posts such as this one about a Cornell beekeeper rendezvous in 1924.
Thanks again!