Huntington was a wealthy art collector who was residing in Boston. It was soon realized that this is not the famous Van Orden house, but part of Archer Huntington’s estate. But that theory collapsed because The Youman -Van Orden house fell victim to a fire, and this house had no traces of damage. It was thought to be the house where Elmer Van Orden lived with his farmhand Gus Weltie. In 1943, the land was given to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC).Īt the opposite end of the park, a simple yet intricately beautiful house stands proud despite its old age. Maxwell commemorated that struggle into an award winning Broadway play called “ High Tor.”Īfter his death, Hudson River Conservation Society, Rockland County Conservation and many other organizations raised twelve thousand dollars to purchase twenty-three acres at the top of the mountain.

Thankfully, the strong-willed owner Elmer Van Orden refused all attempts made by Trap Rock to purchase the land, which had been in the Van Orden family for generations.Įlmer’s neighbor, Maxwell Anderson, was inspired by Van Ordens battle to disrupt the efforts of the businessmen to convert the mountains into a quarry. In the 1930’s, the New York Trap Rock Company threatened to spoil this beautiful space by quarrying the mountain’s stone. The striking views from the hilltops at High Tor Park get a lot of attention, but there’s one part of the park which hides a mystery whose origins go back over 70 years.

High tor ny