John Burroughs' Slabsides
Slabsides is the rustic cabin retreat of literary naturalist John Burroughs. In 1895 Burroughs purchased a tract of land near his river-front home in West Park, NY, and built a two-story cabin as a place to write and entertain. He constructed much of the cabin himself using the rough bark-covered slabs from the first cut of trees, and named it "Slabsides." Burroughs crafted many of the furnishings from wood he found nearby. Adding to the rustic appeal of the cabin, the homespun blanket made by his mother still covers his bed. To supplement his writing income, Burroughs grew large crops of celery in the black muck near the cabin for the New York City market.
"I was offered a tract of land, barely a mile from my home, that contained a seculuded nook and a few acres of level, fertile land, shut off from the vain, and noisey world of railraods, steamboats, and yachts by a wooded, precipitous mountain, I quickly closed the bargain, and built me a rustic house there, which I called "Slabsides" because its outer walls are covered with slabs."
From "Wildlife About My Cabin," Far and Near
As Burroughs’s popularity grew, the cabin drew devoted readers and prominent friends. His guest books bulged with nearly 7,000 signatures. John Muir was an early overnight guest in 1896. Burroughs wrote in his journal that they talked into the night and forgot to have dinner! President Theodore Roosevelt and Mrs. Roosevelt visited Slabsides in 1903, coming up the Hudson River on the Presidential yacht. They dined on Burroughs' famous brigand steak and peas from his garden.
Slabsides is set within the 200 acre John Burroughs Nature Sanctuary. Both Slabsides and the Nature Sanctuary are owned and maintained by the John Burroughs Association. Inside and out, the cabin is preserved much as Burroughs left it when he died in 1921. With funding from the National Parks Service and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, in 2007 we completed the restoration of the exterior siding of the cabin and repaired the foundation.
Slabsides was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. It is also a Hudson River National Heritage Area site.
Groups and special tours are welcome. Contact us to set up a visit.
