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From the Bryant Room Archives
By Myrna Sloam ©Sept/Oct 2004
A View of the Mackay Estate by Stewart Donaldson
Part III: The Polo Stables and Cow Barns.
NOTE: This is the third, in an ongoing series of articles, featuring the reminiscences of Stewart Donaldson (1907-1994) who grew up on the former Clarence H. Mackay estate. The estate operated from 1901 through the 1930’s and is now part of the Village of East Hills. Mr. Donaldson donated these stories to the Bryant Library Local History Collection.
The road to the polo stable from the greenhouse road was bordered on the right by a forest of giant trees and bushes. On your left were open fields, part of which in June, were covered with daisies. The hay for the dairy was cut in this field, when there was any available, and this was seldom. The road from the polo stables to the dairy and from the dairy to Glen Cove Road was bordered on each side by Norway maples. There were also clumps of white birch and large clumps of flowering shrubs such as forsythia, deutzia, viburnam, weigelia, and in the background, plantings of white pine trees.
The polo stables was built in the shape of a U. The horse stables were on the south side, an overhaul shop for autos in the north wing and the center wing was used for storage purposed in the 19teens. Overhead was an apartment or living quarters where the Andersens lived.
When you leave the polo stables and proceed south to the dairy you pass the green or breeding stables on your right, then the little swan pond on your right and the dairy building on your left. [If] you turn left at the Farm Drive, to your right is the barn and cow stables. As you pass the barns, around the barn to the south again, and past the estate superintendent’s house on your left, you would proceed straight ahead to the orchard on your left and the cattle pastures on your right. There was a cold storage house in the hill, next to the orchard, for the storage of fruit. If you took this road straight ahead, you would come to Harbor Hill Road.
The cattle were Guernseys, all registered, pure bred cattle. I would imagine the herd numbered 55 to 60 head with possibly 20 to 25 milking cows. The rest bulls and heifers. The prize bull of the herd was “Masher Galore.” He lived to be about 19 years old and I can remember when he was probably 16 or so years old, when he saw us kids come along he would sit down on the corner of his hay rack (which was low) and wait for us to come into the pen and scratch his head. It was so funny to see a bull his size sit down on the rack and look at you so mournfully and let you pet and scratch him for hours if you would do it. He just loved it, but in his youth he was a terror.
I can remember the story they used to tell of Allen King who worked at the dairy and would clean Masher Galore’s stable. One day while Allen was cleaning the pen, he heard a noise and looked around and here was the bull heading right at him. So, Allen dropped to the floor in the corner of the stall as this bull rammed his horns into the wood. Allen laid there and the bull slowly backed away just far enough for Allen to grab his pitch fork and jab it in the bull’s face. Allen gave him a terrible beating and he always shied away from Allen after that ordeal. But Allen watched himself too, always after that.
Now, we go back to the Farm or East Drive, turn left and proceed up the hill. Now the little pond is on your right and about 500 feet further on, on your left you see the kennels.
….to be continued in later issues of the Bryant Library Newsletter.
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Email: localhistory@bryantlibrary.org