Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

New Hampshire


In the summer of 1885, the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens rented an old inn near the town of Cornish and came to this beautiful spot in the Connecticut River Valley to work. He returned summer after summer, and eventually bought the place in 1892. The estate, where he lived until his death in 1907, is now the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site.

Saint-Gaudens is best known for his public monuments, such as the Sherman Monument in New York's Central Park and the Adams Memorial in Rock Creek Park in Washington DC. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the Robert Gold Shaw Memorial across from the State House in Boston. Recasts of all of these sculptures are scattered around the beautiful grounds of the estates.

In addition to seeing Saint-Gaudens' work, you can tour his home and wander the grounds and studios, where artists-in-residence sculpt. The visitor center shows a short film about the artist's life and work. You can catch a summer concert series in the Little Studio on Sunday between 2pm and 4pm in July and August. The site is just off NH 12A in Cornish, 21 miles south of Dartmouth.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby New Hampshire attractions

1. Harpoon Brewery

1.8 MILES

Visitors can tour the Vermont branch of this excellent Boston-based brewery, or sip samples accompanied by tasty sandwiches astride picnic tables at the…

2. Quechee Gorge

9.93 MILES

Lurking beneath US 4, less than a mile east of Quechee Village, the gorge is a 163ft-deep scar that cuts about 3000ft along a stream that you can view…

3. VINS Nature Center

10.34 MILES

This science center near Quechee houses two dozen species of raptors, ranging from the tiny, 3oz saw-whet owl to the mighty bald eagle. The birds that end…

4. Billings Farm & Museum

11.74 MILES

A mile north of Woodstock's village green, this historic farm founded by 19th-century railroad-magnate Frederick Billings delights children with hands-on…

6. Sugarbush Farm

12.56 MILES

At the end of a bucolic mountain road, this working 550-acre farm – complete with animals for kids to pet – processes sap from its 9000 maple trees, and…

7. Enfield Shaker Museum

14.35 MILES

Set in a valley overlooking Mascoma Lake (11 miles southeast of Dartmouth), the Enfield Shaker site dates back to the late 18th century and grew into a…

8. Montshire Museum of Science

14.54 MILES

Play a musical fence. Study leaf-cutter ants in action. Wander a riverside trail. And view current images from the Hubble telescope. Yep, the hands-on…