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The Stonecrest Cottage is the last of the four family houses that form part of "The Woodpile"; the Wood family farm located in Bedford. Originally the home of brothers Henry Wood, John Jay Wood, and James Wood II, they were all built on the family farm which was purchased in 1809. Constructed in different styles, these houses are significant architecturally and for their Romantic landscape. Each home represents the style of the decade it was built. Stonecrest was built in 1879 was for Mary Augusta Wood Underhill. It was designed in the Eastlake or Stick style by architect Eugene C. Gardner. The Woodpile" is a historic landscape district that represents rural agrarian ideals and culture.

Image of Stonecrest.

Window, Property, House, Tree

Image of Stonecrest.

Yellow, Leaf, Tree, Deciduous

19th-century view of Stonecrest.

Photograph, House, Land lot, Tints and shades

In 1879, Stonecrest was built on land that was given to Augusta Wood Underhill by her father Henry Wood. The house was part of the "Woodpile", which is a series of houses, built in the 19th century, with noteworthy styles of architecture. The other three homes include Brambleworth (1847), Evergreen Lawn (1856), and Braewold (1869). All three of these "Woodpile" homes are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Eugene C. Gardner (1836-1915), the original architect of the Stonecrest, was also known as an author of architectural pattern books. Some of Gardner’s most famous books included Homes and How to Make Them (1874), Home Interiors (1878), and The House that Jill Built After Jack’s Had Proved a Failure (1882). In The House that Jill Built, Stonecrest is discussed briefly and there are several illustrations of the house. One drawing shows the east and north facades of the home with the caption “A promise of Social Success.” In a drawing showing the front hall room, there is a picture of a window bench. Other drawings show floor plans for the first and second floors of the house. Originally the house had double hung windows on the first floor. By 1916, many of the windows were replaced by casements that now cover the entire window opening. The second floor is made of wood shingles that flare away from the first floor. The windows of the house on the second floor are double hung. Most of the windows on the second story are still original.

In 1916 when the Underhill family sold their property to the next owners, the Meade family, significant changes were made to the home. The new architect, H.O. Milliken from New York City, gave the house a more Colonial Revival appearance, but the current owners, who purchased the house in 1997, have restored it to Gardners' original design.

  1. Williams, Gray. Jackson, Kenneth T. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Westchester County Historic Society.
  2. Shaver, Peter D.. Stonecrest. National Register of Historic Places. Published August 14th 2003.
  3. Hall, Trish. "Bringing a House Back To the Way It Was." The New York Times, November 8, 1998.
Image Sources(Click to expand)

Courtesy of Bedford Town Historian John Stockbridge.

Courtesy of Bedford Town Historian John Stockbridge.

Courtesy of Bedford Town Historian John Stockbridge.