Fernwood (Dieterich Farms) Millbrook, N.Y.

How to get to and navigate around the private estate of Fernwood.

This handy little guide map offers an informative overview of the massive private estate of Fernwood in Millbrook, New York. The primary image depicts the approximately 2,500-acre grounds, complete with a gatehouse, main residence, hunting lodge, and numerous other buildings and amenities. Vignettes highlight the estate’s excellent hunting, fishing, and birdwatching. An inset at left provides driving directions from Midtown Manhattan—a journey of 88.6 miles via the Henry Hudson, Saw Mill River, Bronx River, and Eastern State parkways, together with a proposed express highway.

The map was designed and published by the General Drafting Company of New York. It is undated, but company production records indicate it was commissioned by Walter C. Teagle in 1938, suggesting publication around 1938 or 1939.

The property was originally assembled beginning in the 1880s by Charles Dieterich, a co-founder of Union Carbide, who developed an expansive country estate and game preserve featuring landscaped gardens, farms, and recreational facilities. In 1912, he completed the 38-room Victorian mansion Daheim (“at home”), which became the centerpiece of the estate.

Following Dieterich’s death, the property was acquired in 1935 by a syndicate headed by Walter C. Teagle, the longtime president of Standard Oil of New Jersey (later Exxon). The new owners renamed the estate Fernwood, and this map was likely produced to acquaint prospective guests, clients, and visitors with the property’s extensive amenities and relatively convenient access from New York City.

Fernwood enjoyed a remarkable afterlife. During the 1960s, it became closely associated with Timothy Leary and his followers, serving as the headquarters of the League for Spiritual Discovery. Today, better known as the Hitchcock Estate, the property remains one of the Hudson Valley’s most celebrated private estates – currently available for $65 million!

Sources: Private Air Magazine; Rural Intelligence;