About Weir Farm National Historical Park

Weir Farm National Historical Park, the only National Park Service site dedicated to American painting, was home to three generations of American artists. Julian Alden Weir, a leading figure in American art and the development of American Impressionism, acquired the farm in 1882. After Weir, the artistic legacy was continued by his daughter, painter Dorothy Weir Young and her husband, sculptor Mahonri Young, followed by New England painters Sperry and Doris Andrews. Today, the 60-acre farm, which includes the Weir House, Weir and Young Studios, barns, gardens, and Weir Pond, is one of the nation’s finest remaining landscapes of American art.

For many affluent New Yorkers of the 1880s, there was a strong desire for a tranquil retreat away from the noise and heat of the city. J. Alden Weir was no exception. He acquired his Branchville property in 1882, and soon developed a deep affection for the landscape of his new country home. Over the years, the gardens became a significant and endearing part of this rural setting.

The landscape of Weir Farm National Historical Park has several interesting features, including a colonial revival Sunken Garden, terraced lawns which were once the site of numerous vegetable gardens, and the Weir Garden, which was created in 1915 and features a fountain, sundial and a rustic cedar fence. With assistance from local garden clubs and volunteers, the National Park Service has preserved and restored these gardens to appear today just as they did to Weir and the other artists that made this farm their home.

For more information about the site, tours, and programs including painting on site, please visit https://www.nps.gov/wefa/index.htm.