Ben Coolyn
House and Gardens open all day
Ben Coolyn was first settled by James Clark under the name of Clark’s Tract.
Clark built the first dwelling in the early 1800s on a site to the east of the current home. The Clarks named the property “Ben Coolin,” meaning “Breezy Mountain” in their native Scottish language. An heir added orchards and renamed the property “Fruitlands.”
It was renamed as Ben Coolyn in 1918 by the Bogert family, who renovated the residence to take advantage of frequent breezes.
In the late 1940s, the Hallock family downsized the house by removing the sleeping porches and the second-story north bedroom.
In the late 1940s, the Hallock family downsized the house by removing the sleeping porches and the second-story north bedroom.
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In 2001, Ann and Peter Taylor bought some of the property, and the name “Ben Coolyn” conveyed with the sale. The Taylors restored several gardens, created an arboretum, and planted many native trees, including 176 willow oaks, and deciduous flowering magnolia cultivars and crosses. Ben Coolyn has a bank barn standing on an older rock foundation, and a circa 1850 dogtrot corn crib.
A number of Hallocks still live on part of the original land, which was renamed “Fruitlands.” |
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