In the summer of 1885, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens rented an old inn near the town of Cornish and came to this beautiful spot in the Connecticut River Valley to work. He returned summer after summer, and eventually bought the place in 1892. The estate, where he lived until his death in 1907, is now the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site.
Saint-Gaudens is best known for his public monuments, such as the Sherman Monument in New York's Central Park and the Adams Memorial in Rock Creek Park in Washington DC. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the Robert Gold Shaw Memorial across from the State House in Boston. Recasts of all of these sculptures are scattered around the beautiful grounds of the estates.
In addition to seeing Saint-Gaudens' work, you can tour his home and wander the grounds and studios, where artists-in-residence sculpt. The visitor center shows a short film about the artist's life and work. You can catch a summer concert series in the Little Studio on Sunday between 2pm and 4pm in July and August. The site is just off NH 12A in Cornish, 21 miles south of Dartmouth.
