If Henry Bowen had a carriage accident in New York, you read about it in the LA Times. Born into modest circumstances in Woodstock, Connecticut in 1813, he became one of the celebrity one-percenters of his day: a businessman, publisher, insurance company founder and kingmaker whose life personified the social, business, political, and religious elements of the American mid-19thcentury. Roseland Cottage, the summer home he built in 1846 directly across the town common from his birthplace, tells us of his ambition, his sphere of influence, and his dedication to matters of style.
Measuring 6,000 square feet, the Gothic Revival house features the hallmarks of the newly fashionable architectural style, including board and batten sheathing, an oriel window, quatrefoil trim and gingerbread vergeboards. Roseland Cottage represented the gospel of picturesque country houses as espoused by tastemaker Andrew Jackson Downing, who said that the Gothic Revival’s soaring, asymmetrical style suited a dynamic personality. To draw maximum attention to his family’s country retreat, Henry Bowen painted it pink.
“Reviving Gothic architecture was also a religious impulse,” says Laurie Masciandaro, site manager of what is now a museum operated by Historic New England. “Henry Bowen promoted New England culture and values throughout the country with his newspaper, ‘The Independent.’ Those values included the Congregational Church, temperance, and the abolitionist movement.”
Four presidents visited Roseland Cottage, and Bowen was responsible for the Cooper-Union speech that propelled Abraham Lincoln onto the national political stage. But the house was most importantly a paradise for Henry and Lucy Bowen’s 10 children. (After her death, Bowen fathered another child with the second Mrs. Bowen.) Far from their Brooklyn Heights mansion, the children enjoyed what their father considered healthy fresh air pursuits. For indoor fun, he installed a still-extant bowling alley in the carriage barn.
The 3,000 square foot boxwood paterre garden that fronts the house dates to its creation in 1850. Also extant is the house’s Gothic Revival furniture, including a superb whole-house set that includes a settee, two window seats, several bedroom sets and a hall stand. Perhaps the most charming piece of all is the Gothic Revival crib used by generations of Bowens.
Roseland Cottage is in its original condition; Bowen children and grandchildren made no major changes. We thus have an unparalleled glimpse into 19thcentury upper class New England family life.
