"A park, a breathing place, open and free at all times to every person." In deeding this property to the Village in 1909, John Seamon's insight has kept Seamon Park a mecca of tranquility in today's high-tech society.
The Park is the site of the Mum Festival, held the first Sunday of October. This highly anticipated event, which was begun at this site in 1965, ushers in a month of leisurely strolls along paths lined with fall plantings, interspersed with thousands of rainbow-hued chrysanthemums. The festival features varied music: chamber, country, and Sousa marches. The specifics vary from year to year, but in past festivals, there have been Colonial demonstrations, art shows, live animals, and puppets. The Mum Queen and her Court distribute mum corsages.
Picnic tables and stone fireplaces built by Camp Fire Girls are adjacent to a playground area. A gazebo allows privacy for reading and writing; park benches afford spectacular views of the Village, the Catskills to the west and the setting sun. Cast bronze fountains and flowering shrubs and trees enhance the natural beauty of the site. In front of the park stands the Children's Statue, purchased with pennies collected by children many years ago.
Seamon Park is the site where a sawyer operated a mill in 1652-1663 on a stream that forms the northern boundary of the park. An original wheel can still be seen near the site. School children donated pennies to purchase the "boy and girl under an umbrella" fountain near the front gate. A bronze tiered fountain on the upper level, circled with flowers, is a favorite location for wedding pictures and ceremonies.
In the winter, George Terpening and his Parks & Recreation crew, along with Saugerties Kiwanis Club volunteers, transform the park into a holiday lights spectacular.
Hours
The park is open 9:00 AM until dusk.
A Quick History
John Seamon and his brother George were the owners of Seamon brother Funeral Home, founded by heir father, Henry, in 1873. The brothers built the present Saugerties Furniture Mart building and operated a funeral-furniture business until 1904. In 1907, John purchased the Egbert Cooper property and deeded it to the Village on August 7, 1909, “for use as a park, a breathing place, open and free at all times to every person.”
The Parcel, purchased for $10,000 abutted the former Martin Terwilliger grist mill and included the custodian’s home, occupied prior to 1875 by E. Seiger. In 1922, John’s sister, Henrietta Seamon, established a Memorial Fund which has since been used to maintain and enhance the Park through the Village of Saugerties and a Park Board.
Other benefactors followed. The Children’s Statue in the front of the Park home was purchased with pennies collected by the children many years ago. In 1929, fireplaces in the picnic area were built by the Camp Fire Girls and their mentor, Maude Washburn. Cast bronze fountains and plantings of flowering shrubs and trees added to the beauty of the site and in 1965 the Saugerties Rotary Club and other citizens proclaimed a Chrysanthemum Festival to add to the awareness and appreciation of the site.
In 1971, a group formed The Little Sawyer Association and constructed a replica of a pre-Revolutionary War grist mill adjacent to the Park. A modern cast aluminum sculpture was donated by the international sculptor, Ezio Martinelli, in 1979. The Village added to the fall festival by creating plantings of mums on Village streets each year. The Chrysanthemum Festival continues as one of the major fall events of Saugerties, a varied and beautiful display of the Park and its breathtaking view of the Catskill Mountains.
John Seamon’s love for his Village and his vision of a beautiful park overlooking the mountains has been achieved. It endures in the continued cooperation of a wide range of citizen organizations that combine each year to make the Chrysanthemum Festival both an appreciation and a celebration of Seamon Park.
Park Description
A beautiful, hilly park in the northeast corner of the Village of Saugerties . . . Seamon Park is beautifully landscaped throughout the year. It really shines in early October, when the Mum Festival features an incredible variety and number of chrysanthemums, as well as interesting art displays, musical entertainment, and food booths.
In December, the Park is lit up with a dazzling array of Christmas lights, thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Saugerties.
A Great Locale for Weddings and Wedding Photos
The Park is available for wedding ceremonies. If you are interested in reserving a date and/or use of the gazebo on the Seamon Park grounds, please contact the Village Clerk, 845-246-2321, extension 1. The use of tents, gazebos, and chairs is allowed but the responsibility for the rentals is up to you. Electricity is available. The ceremony may be set up in any area of the park. The only covered area is at the pavilion at the top of the hill.
The "Seamon Park Application for Use" PDF below (under the "Documents" heading below) should be completed and returned along with deposit and payment.
A Word about Mums and Mum Care
Chrysanthemums were one of the earliest cultivated perennials on record. A cousin of the common daisy, it was cultivated by Oriental gardeners nearly 2,000 years before being introduced in Europe in the 17th century. The name Chrysanthemum, given by European botanists, means "golden flower".
Today, there are over 1,000 varieties of mums in a galaxy of tints and shades.
Chrysanthemums are not difficult to grow. They require good drainage and thrive in enriched soil. The plants should be propagated in the Spring by taking cuttings three or four inches long from new stems, cutting below a leaf node. Expert growers recommend that roots be dipped in a stimulant and planted in vermiculite, keeping the soil moist, but the foliage dry. New roots will be noted in three or four weeks. Gently loosen a cutting or two to examine the root. When the roots are one-half to one inch long, the cuttings can be moved to a garden plot. Likewise in the springtime, existing plants from the previous season may be divided into segments and carefully replanted in well-mulched, fertilized soil.
Summer care of mums can be extremely simple. Mulch to lessen disease, minimize weeding, and to conserve moisture. Since the plants are shallow-rooted, water if the foliage shows signs of wilting. It is best to water early in the day in order that the leaves may dry before nightfall.
To encourage branching of the plants, pinch off new growth by one-half to one inch. "Pinching" should be started when the plants are four to six inches high and should continue until mid-July.
After heavy frost, the plants should be cut off to four to six inches, destroying the discarded foliage to prevent disease. Plants should be covered with a protective material such as hemlock or spruce branches or a layer of pine needles. Leave are not recommended.
Pavers for Posterity
Would you like your name or the name(s) of loved ones on a brick paver on Seamon Park's grounds? There is a beautiful walking path surrounding the Children's Fountain at Seamon Park, right up front, near the 9W/Finger Street entrance to the park. Whether you live in Saugerties or are an occasional visitor to one of the loveliest parks around, each future visit to the park will be made that much more meaningful if you can stop by the fountain and point out the paver that holds your special message.
Click on the Paver Purchase Form link below and you can get more information about Seamon Park, the mums that make Seamon Park so beautiful and the paver program. Best of all, you can use this handy order form to order your paver or pavers as a nice present to yourself, to others, or as a way of sharing a thought or remembrance.