The William Cullen Bryant Homestead, Author Home, Cummington, Massachusetts, The Berkshires

Property Description 195 acres | Established 1927
The boyhood home of one of America's foremost 19th-century poets, the William Cullen Bryant Homestead is a National Historic Landmark. Purchased in 1789 by Ebenezer Snell, Bryant's grandfather, the Homestead and its surrounding countryside inspired much of young Bryant's poetry such as "The Rivulet" and "To A Waterfowl."
After a law career in Great Barrington, Bryant moved to New York City to become editor and publisher of The New York Evening Post, where he served for 50 years. His family sold the Homestead in 1835. Thirty years later Bryant re-purchased it as a summer retreat and converted it from a center-stair colonial to a Victorian cottage. The house collection includes colonial and Victorian pieces from the Bryant and Snell families and memorabilia collected on his extensive travels to Europe and Asia. He added an ell to the barn to store apples and pears from his orchards.
The Trustees of Reservations owns 195 acres of Bryant's pastoral estate, largely unchanged for more than 150 years. The maple tree allee planted by the Bryant family, the old growth forest on the Rivulet Trail, and the sugar bush used by Bryant and his brothers contain trees that are almost 200 years old.
The Trustees of Reservations, working with the Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has protected 970 acres of actively managed surrounding farm and forest land.

Trails
2.5 miles of footpaths and carriage roads. Moderate hiking.

Facilities
House museum with visitor center, museum shop (see below), and public restrooms (all open seasonally). Picnic tables. Outdoor private functions may be arranged; e-mail or call 413/634-2244 for more information.
The museum shop is one of just a few places to find complete volumes of Bryant' s poetry that was last published in 1947. While these books are not part of the Homestead' s collection, some of them date to the 19th century with elegant bindings. The lives of people who lived at the Bryant Homestead are present through biographies and memoirs. The shop sells maple syrup that is taken from trees that were tapped during Bryant' s childhood. Note cards by local artists depicting the Homestead, barn, and Cummington as well as Homestead postcards are available. Visitors can also choose from Victorian memorabilia books, bookmarks, and cards.

Tours
Guided house tour offered June 28 through Columbus Day, Saturday-Sunday, and Monday holidays, 1-5PM. Members: FREE. Nonmembers: adult $5, child (6-12) $2.50. Group house tours for 10 or more receive a discount; call 413/634-2244.

Literature
Self-guided landscape tour brochure available at the visitor center and bulletin board in parking area. You may also mail order this brochure in advance of your visit.

Hunting Advisory
Seasonal hunting is permitted at this property subject to all state and town laws. Click here for further information.

Property Acquisition History
Original acreage a bequest, with endowment, of Minna Godwin Goddard in 1927. Additional land purchased in 1981 with funds given by Mrs. Winthrop M. Crane III.