1874: The Cattle That Charged the Church-Goers of Carmansville, New York » MinniesLand
On the very same day that Carman purchased acreage, John James Audubon, the renowned ornithologist and painter, bought an adjacent 14 acres of woodlands for his own estate, Minnie’s Land (located at present-day 156th Street and Riverside Drive). He called it Minnie’s Land in honor of his wife, Lucy Bakewell (Minnie was a Scottish endearment for “mother”). The property was originally a working farm with gardens, orchards, and livestock. It featured a stream just about where 157th Street is now, rocky outcroppings and dense woodlands of oak, elm, and hemlocks. After Audubon’s death in 1851, Lucy and her sons, Victor and John Wood-house, built and rented about 10 houses on their property. Residents began calling their neighborhood Audubon Park.
Minnie’s Land, Audubon House
