The Stone Tower was most likely constructed around 1893, the same time as the Yaddo Mansion. The Trasks intended to use the upper story of the structure as their family chapel, with the lower level being used to store ice. The Trasks later came to…

Located on the first floor of the Yaddo Mansion, the spacious Music Room is one of the primary social spaces at Yaddo. Following the communal dinner and the end of quiet hours, artists in residence are free to explore the rooms of the estate. For…

A Utopia for lifelong learners, the Chautauqua Institution was founded in 1874 by Lewis Miller and John Heyl Vincent. Initially, Miller and Vincent sought to improve the teachings of Sunday Schools, but the scope of their project quickly grew and…

Nestled between the trees just outside of Woodstock sits The Maverick Concert Hall, the brainchild of Hervey White. Built in 1916, the structure was the happy result of White’s quest for a space that cultivated creativity with few constraints –…

The Shakers are well known for their traditions in vocal music. Countless personal and printed music books survive, attesting to the wide scope of their unique spirituals. First composed without text and performed with wordless syllables, spirituals…

When John Humphrey Noyes and his Oneida Perfectionists removed themselves from the constraints and expectations of mainstream society, they forged many new and unorthodox traditions. However, the Perfectionists were not immune to all aspects of…

With an abrupt shift away from his lucrative stint in the soap business, Elbert Hubbard followed his passion for writing and began a literary career in 1893. After enrolling at Harvard, Hubbard soon realized his disdain for the inaccessibility of…