Locust Grove, National Historic Landmark estate in Poughkeepsie, United States.
Locust Grove is an 80-acre estate overlooking the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, featuring an Italianate mansion as its centerpiece. Supporting structures include outbuildings, formal gardens, and woodland trails scattered throughout the property.
Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph, hired architect Alexander Jackson Davis in 1847 to design the house, which was completed in 1851. After Henry Livingston Jr. purchased the property and named it Locust Grove for the black locust trees growing there, the estate took on its lasting identity.
The Young family filled the rooms with art and furnishings gathered from different periods and regions during the early 1900s. The way these collections are arranged reflects the tastes and interests of a wealthy household from that era.
The estate has a visitor center with galleries, museum facilities, and classrooms for educational programs. Guided tours of the mansion are available, and walking the grounds is the best way to experience the property, especially the woodland trails.
The mansion was long considered one of the finest examples of Italianate architecture in America. The original owner Samuel Morse tested telegraph functions on the property before eventually selling it.
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