Cornish is fortunate to encompass over 1,000 acres of undeveloped public lands. These include Chase Island Wildlife Management Area, the Cornish Wildlife Management Area, Whitewater Brook Reservoir Lands, Cornish Recreation and Education Area (CREA), the Cornish Town Forest, and Saint Gaudens National Historical Park (SGNHP).

The SGNHP was not always part of the National Park system. In the 1880’s, Cornish, and much of New England, was experiencing an exodus of farmers; many were heading west to better lands or opportunities. Assuming the best of times for Cornish had passed, farmers often sold their land at a bargain price in order to move on. The once obscure rural farm community was changing to a desirable New England summer retreat location. Helping this evolution was Charles Beaman, a young corporate lawyer, who began to acquire property and homes in the northwest section of the town and a summer artists’ colony began to take shape.

Of the many artists attracted to Cornish, the most well-known was Augustus Saint Gaudens. A friend of Beaman’s, St. Gaudens first rented a dilapidated tavern, and in 1885 he purchased it as his summer home, calling it Aspet. He added studios and lived and sculpted there year-round until his death in 1907. Some of his Cornish neighbors were less than positive with his improvements, suggesting that the columned pergolas added to the tavern “made it look like an old New Hampshire farmer with a new set of false teeth”.

Following his death, his widow Augusta eventually created the Saint-Gaudens Memorial, with a museum, extensive formal gardens and permanent exhibits of the sculptor’s works. In 1959 it became a National Historic Site, and five years later it was acquired by the National Park Service, the only National Park in New Hampshire.

If you have never traveled up St. Gaudens Road from 12-A to visit this gem of a National Historical Park it is surely time to do so!! The Park is open from Memorial Day weekend until October 31. One can tour the original home, visit the studios, including large outdoor installations, such as the Shaw Memorial and “The Standing Lincoln”. Even in winter when the Park is officially closed, the grounds and trails are still open for walking, skiing, or snowshoeing, and the views of Mt. Ascutney framed by a setting sun are magnificent!