Maria Bartow Cole’s journal kept from 1835-1851 and transcribed letters from 1831-1847. This collection of Maria’s writings documents her private life and relationships, providing a window into daily life in Catskill and beyond. A lightly edited version is available for sale online, or in our gift shop.

Thomas Cole’s journal kept from 1834-1848. This collection of writings documents events in his life and also includes poetry, musings, and lamentations. A lightly edited version is available for sale online, or in our gift shop.

Thomas Cole’s Essay on American Scenery is a seminal work of American environmentalism, first published in 1836. A lightly edited version is available for sale online, or in our gift shop.

In his Lecture on Art, Thomas Cole makes the case for public art to be available to every citizen, with drawing taught in every school. A lightly edited version is available for sale online, or in our gift shop.

In the East Parlor, visitors soar through the landscapes as Thomas Cole, voiced by actor Jamie Bell, speaks directly about his ambitions and his profound relationship with the American landscape.

Thomas Cole’s private correspondence with his wife Maria Bartow Cole on negotiating with patrons and Cole’s letters with patrons on view in the West Parlor. The letters back and forth sometimes got heated. What is beautiful? And what exactly is a landscape?

Join Thomas Cole on one of his journeys and experience his creative process during an 1837 trip to the Adirondacks that resulted in his classic American sublime painting View of Schroon Mountain, Essex County, NY, After a Storm.

In the Sitting Room, dive in to Thomas Cole’s internal struggles and ambitions for his art through his later writings, where he seems to question and speculate on how art can change how people approach the world, and can contribute to an improved world.

An 1836 account of what it was like to travel to and from the historic property in the words of Sarah Cole (1805-1857), the artist who was also Thomas Cole’s sister.

In this letter to her sisters, Maria Bartow Cole (1813-1884) describes the trip she took with her husband, Thomas Cole, and the Durands to Schroon Lake in June 1837.

The 2019 Historic Structure Report on the 1815 Main House, prepared  by John G. Waite Associates, Architects, with support from the National Park Service.

The Life at Cedar Grove research report was prepared by independent researcher Maureen Hart Hennessey for the Thomas Cole National Historic Site Interpretive Planning Project, with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The Cultural Landscape Report was prepared by Heritage Partners and Robert M. Toole.

Learn more about the people who lived and worked at the historic property during Thomas Cole’s residency (1836-1848) as known through census records, letters, or oral history,