Home & Landscape

Early last Saturday evening a strong cluster of thunderstorm cells passed through the area. At Hyde Hall we suffered power outages and damage from large branches of maple trees falling on the south lawn, the road leading to the visitor center at Tin Top and other areas of the grounds.  The mansion and Tin Top suffered no damage although power was not restored to Tin Top until Tuesday afternoon. We were not able to conduct tours on Sunday but operated tours from the Kent Administrative Center on Monday and Tuesday.

A wedding reception was in full swing at the time, the guests were able to shelter in the mansion during the worst of the storm. Generators were quickly brought on line and soon the party was in full swing. Memories of this wedding will be with the couple and guests for years to come.

Thanks go out to the Glimmerglass State Park crew and the power company for the cleanup.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hyde Hall.

John Bower, Marketing Manager

Click on any image to open gallery in slideshow view.  Images by John Bower, Hyde Hall.

The winter landscape of this beautiful estate holds many surprises. With temperatures that have fluctuated throughout the season, the lake has gone from liquid to frozen and back more than a few times.  One of the most interesting moments was when we had ice on the lake followed by a day of milder temperatures with rain—and we watched the water flowing over the surface of the icy under-layers. It is an ever changing view, but always stunning.

Even though the mansion is closed at present, the preparation for our upcoming season at Hyde Hall continues. During the coldest of our weeks, one very dedicated employee, Genevieve, worked diligently outdoors to remove locust shoots to maintain the appearance of the grounds—in spite of admonitions from her concerned manager. We appreciate her commitment and hard work in helping to keep our grounds in shape all year long!

In addition to our staff and volunteers, we have had a few other guests this winter as well. During the cold and blustery weeks of February, we were visited by two bald eagles, one adult and one immature. They were seen sitting on a tree branch near the water and captured on film by John Bower, Hyde Hall’s Marketing and Outreach Manager. A few days later, we were visited by a trio of deer, resting together in the morning sunshine. They didn’t seem to mind the cold.

The winter landscape here has a certain allure—it is peaceful, solemn, and breathtaking, and always a bit different from one day to the next. We will enjoy watching the season slowly begin to transition to spring over these next weeks as we prepare for all the activity that will follow in 2016. We hope you will join us for a visit!