Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park

Augustus Saint-Gaudens rose from a modest immigrant background, apprenticed as a cameo cutter, and trained in Paris and Rome before becoming the leading American sculptor of his generation. His public monuments shaped how the nation pictured its heroes and its history, from the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial in Boston to the Standing Lincoln in Chicago and the Adams Memorial in Washington.

He also designed coinage of extraordinary beauty, including the twenty-dollar gold double eagle long considered among the finest coins the country ever produced. At the park, visitors can see the artist's own bronze casts and reductions of these works displayed in and around the studios, a chance to stand face to face with monuments most people know only from afar.

Saint-Gaudens first came to Cornish in 1885, renting and then buying an old brick house he named Aspet after his father's birthplace in France. He remade the property over the years, adding studios where he and his assistants worked and shaping the grounds into a series of formal gardens, terraces, and hedged outdoor rooms that frame long views of the landscape.

The gardens are as much a part of the experience as the sculpture. Saint-Gaudens treated the whole estate as a composition, with allees, pools, and plantings arranged to lead the eye toward Mount Ascutney across the river. Walking from the house through the studios and out into the gardens, you move through the world exactly as the artist arranged it.

Where Saint-Gaudens settled, others followed. Over the decades around 1900 the hills of Cornish filled with painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and gardeners drawn by the scenery, the light, and one another's company, forming what became known as the Cornish Art Colony. Figures such as the painter Maxfield Parrish and many others worked in the area, and the colony helped make this quiet corner of New Hampshire a center of American art.

The colonists shared a love of the classical, of gardens, and of the view toward Mount Ascutney, and they staged elaborate outdoor pageants and gatherings. The park preserves the anchor of that world, and its summer concert series and programs carry on the tradition of art and music on the grounds.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, in Cornish in the Upper Valley of western New Hampshire, preserves the beautiful home, studios, and gardens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of the greatest American sculptors, set amid lovely grounds overlooking Mount Ascutney. The only National Park Service site in New Hampshire, it was the sculptor's summer home and later year-round residence and the heart of an artists' colony, and today it displays many of his masterful sculptures, his preserved studios, elegant formal gardens, and wooded trails. A serene and inspiring blend of fine art, history, and beautiful landscape, it delights art lovers and visitors alike. With its sculptures, studios, and gardens, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park offers a fascinating destination in New Hampshire.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens was one of the most celebrated American sculptors, a leading artist of his era renowned for his masterful and expressive works, including famous public monuments and memorials. He made his home in Cornish, New Hampshire, which became the center of a noted artists' colony, and there he created and refined many of his greatest sculptures. His home, studios, and gardens are preserved as the national historical park that bears his name. Learning about Saint-Gaudens and his art enriches a visit to Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in New Hampshire.

You can tour the sculptor's preserved home and studios, view many of his masterful sculptures displayed indoors and around the grounds, stroll the elegant formal gardens overlooking Mount Ascutney, walk the wooded nature trails, and enjoy art demonstrations and, at times, concerts. The beautiful sculptures, the preserved studios, the formal gardens, and the serene setting are the highlights, offering a rich blend of art, history, and landscape. As a National Park Service site, it is thoughtfully interpreted. With its art and gardens, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park offers a rewarding experience in New Hampshire.

The park's buildings and full offerings are typically open seasonally in the warm months, generally late spring through fall, when the gardens are in bloom, the studios are open, and the grounds are at their most beautiful, with fall foliage especially lovely, while the grounds and trails may be accessible in other seasons. Because it is seasonal, checking current hours before you go is wise. For the gardens and studios at their best, aim for late spring through fall at Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire.

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park is in Cornish in the Upper Valley of western New Hampshire, along the Connecticut River, within reach of the historic Cornish-Windsor covered bridge, Hanover with the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth, the Montshire Museum of Science across the river, and the Upper Valley towns. That makes Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park a fascinating stop to combine with the Hood Museum of Art and the other attractions of the Upper Valley on a visit to New Hampshire.