Landscape Information
Incorporating 174 acres of topographically varied land west of Route 22, including a rugged glen that features a chamber-like cavern and a series of cascades, this site has long been associated with a local legend describing a sachem, Sassacus, who sought refuge in the cavern during the seventeenth century Pequot War. In the 1830s the distinctive geologic formation became a popular scenic destination. Due to its natural form and reverent sense of calm and seclusion, the site was often compared to a house of worship. The cavern’s entrance, from which the Stone Church Brook outflows, was likened to a Gothic arch, and its interior elements were given church associated names, such as the “pulpit” and “gallery.” The cavern and its 30-foot-tall waterfall inspired myriad Hudson River writers and artists, including Asher Durand, who visited and sketched the site in 1847. By the late nineteenth century the cavern was accessed from the east by a linear, maple lined drive.
In the second half of the twentieth century a mining operation was established east of the cavern, hindering public access. The drive and a majority of the maple trees were removed and earth was excavated, forming a shallow depression.
The Dutchess Land Conservancy, working with the town and other groups, purchased 58 acres including the cavern in 2004. A new linear gravel path and red maple allée were introduced at the cavern’s entrance, reminiscent of the nineteenth century approach drive. Hiking trails were laid out south of the glen in 2015. The Dover Stone Church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
