The Friends of Cedarmere

10/02/2026

https://wix.to/B7bz4La

10/01/2026

Celebrate International Coffee Day with a quiet morning at Cedarmere - where steam from your cup meets the hush of historic trees and weathered stone. Photographers and writers, bring your notebook or camera and savor this rare North Shore backdrop that blends everyday ritual with living history. Share your morning shot or favorite line below and visit https://wix.to/tvODtwu to learn more.

09/27/2026

7 Bryant & America at 250: Abolition

William Cullen Bryant knew the United States could not fully realize its founding ideals while slavery endured.

He was one of the most liberal voices of the century, writing extensively on the issues of religious minorities, immigrants, Union Rights, the abolition of slavery, free trade, free speech, American Arts, public parks, and Public Libraries – Bryant defended and supported so many causes – tenets of the American Ideal.

As editor of the New-York Evening Post, Bryant published editorials opposing the expansion of slavery and supported the movement toward abolition. His newspaper became one of the most influential voices calling for a more equitable and just nation.

Bryant’s poem, ‘The Death of Slavery’, was published in 1866, a year after the close of the American Civil War. In this piece, Bryant applauds the demise of the “cruel reign” of slavery. His words are a warning to enslavers and supporters of slavery. You can find the poem here: https://www.poetry.com/poem/40343/the-death-of-slavery

We remember that each generation has been challenged to bring the nation’s founding principals and ideals closer to reality… a nation united, indivisible from forces external or internal, with liberty and justice for us all.

09/25/2026

Event change: Tuffets & Tricksters has been moved to the rain date - Saturday, October 3, 3:00-5:00 PM, at Cedarmere. ☔➡️🌞

Sept. 27th ticket holders: your tickets will be honored at the rescheduled outdoor performance. We’re also welcoming Sept. 27th ticket holders to an in-house rehearsal this Sunday, Sept. 27, 3:00-5:00 PM, where most of the program will be presented. 🎭🎵

Tickets available for October 3rd. Learn more and view event details: https://wix.to/9Kh3HHW

09/25/2026

Join us at Cedarmere for a Writing Day Retreat with Long Island poets Christina M. Rau and Stefanie Maura on October 17, 2026, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM. Spend the day writing, sharing, and finding inspiration in the historic gardens of William Cullen Bryant’s summer estate. ✍️🌳

Learn more and register: https://wix.to/Iwd3l5N

We’d love to know: what’s one place that inspires your writing? Tell us in the comments. 👇

Join poets Christina M. Rau and Stefanie Maura for a restorative day of writing, creativity, and connection at beautiful Cedarmere.

09/20/2026

6 Bryant and America at 250: Lifelong Learning

William Cullen Bryant never stopped learning.

He read widely, traveled extensively, translated literature, and believed curiosity was essential to an engaged citizenry.

Alongside the traditional school subjects taught, Bryant was an advocate for including music lesson in public education, believing such knowledge would benefit society in the long run. In his address, delivered 29 December, 1856, to an unknown audience, Bryant stated that music – entertaining or being entertained – strengthens not only one’s health but also one’s morals.

From that address:
” In making music a branch of common education, we give a new attraction to our common schools. Music is not merely a study, it is an entertainment; wherever there is music there is a throng of listeners. We complain our common schools are not attended as they ought to be. What is to be done? Shall we compel the attendance of children? Rather let us, if we can, so order things, that children shall attend voluntarily—shall be eager to crowd to the schools; and for this purpose nothing can be more effectual, it seems to me, than the art to which the ancients ascribed such power that, according to the fables of their poets, it drew the very stones of the earth from their beds and piled them in a wall around the city of Thebes.” From “Orations and Addresses” by William Cullen Bryant. NY: Putnam, 1873.

Learning is a lifelong activity. Whether actively pursuing new knowledge or skill or honing natural abilities, we grow.

Have you learned something new, lately? Picked up an instrument or returned to a love of singing? Read a book that stayed with you? We’d love to hear!

Image - William Cullen Bryant's Library at Cedarmere

09/17/2026

Come and enjoy Cedarmere’s dahlia garden while it is still in bloom. Thanks to our Board member Reese Michaels and his fellow gardeners.

09/17/2026

Discover Tuffets & Tricksters at Cedarmere on September 27, 3-5 PM - an original Dance Visions NY program inspired by fables, nursery rhymes and mythology performed in the historic gardens of William Cullen Bryant’s summer estate. A perfect afternoon for history lovers, artists, and families who appreciate The Arts performed in a glorious setting!

Learn more and reserve your spot: https://wix.to/0mpsyvg 🌿🩰📖

09/13/2026

#5 Bryant and America at 250. Why Public Parks Matter.

Image: New York City, 1849 (Collection of the New-York Historical Society.)

William Cullen Bryant was among the civic leaders who strongly supported the creation of New York City's Central Park.

He believed cities needed green spaces where people from every background could enjoy beauty, fresh air, and recreation.

Today, public parks remain one of our Nation's greatest civic treasures.

Where is your favorite park? (Have you been outside this season? It's time to come outdoors!)

09/06/2026

Tuffets & Tricksters - a site-specific performance inspired by fables and folklore at Cedarmere Estate. Join Dance Visions NY on September 27, 3:00-5:00 PM at 225 Bryant Ave, Roslyn. 🌳🩰

Rain date: Saturday, October 3, 2026

Enjoy this performance in the historic gardens that once belonged to William Cullen Bryant and help support The Friends of Cedarmere's education and preservation work. Learn more and reserve your spot: https://wix.to/rhAlcO8

Will you join us? Share this with someone who loves history and the arts!