Jay Ghoul’s House of Curiosities, Lyndhurst Mansion: “Insidious and gloomy, They’re all together looney, The Jay Ghoul Family!” Lyndhurst Mansion goes Adams Family in this year’s version of their Jay Ghoul’s House of Curiosities Halloween event. Meet the abnormal family that lives in the museum with the ever-peculiar Mr. and Mrs. Feliz and Morganna Ghoul. See what Grandmummy is cooking up, and find their favorite uncle festering in the dungeon. Find out what other zany family members have turned up at this festive time of year! (Lyndhurst Mansion, 635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown; www.lyndhurst.org) Sellout Alert! This event sells out.

More about Lyndhurst Mansion

Overlooking the Hudson River in Tarrytown, Lyndhurst is one of America’s finest Gothic Revival mansions. Designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis, its architectural brilliance is complemented by the park-like landscape of the 67-acre estate and a comprehensive collection of original decorative arts. Its noteworthy occupants included: former New York City mayor William Paulding, merchant George Merritt, and railroad tycoon Jay Gould.

Jay Gould purchased the estate as a summer home in 1880. By 1884 Gould had gained control of Western Union Telegraph, the New York Elevated Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. When his health was impaired by tuberculosis, Lyndhurst served as a country retreat until his death in 1892.

Jay Gould’s eldest daughter, Helen, a noted philanthropist, was given charge of the property upon Jay Gould’s death. When she built the bowling pavilion and recreation center at Lyndhurst in 1894, she included in it a dedicated space for a sewing school that taught local woman a trade.

After her sister’s death in 1938, Helen’s younger sister, Anna, Duchess of Talleyrand-Perigord, returned from France. While she lived primarily at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, she maintained Lyndhurst as a country home. After World War II, Anna allowed soldiers to convalesce at Lyndhurst.  When Anna passed away in 1961, she bequeathed the 67-acre estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Lyndhurst Today

Lyndhurst’s vast collection of art, antiques, and furniture have remained largely intact due to the mansion’s use primarily as a country residence. In most instances, the furnishings are original to the house, and more than fifty pieces were designed by the architect himself, Alexander Jackson Davis. The arrangement of the rooms reflects the lives of one of the three major families and the five major owners that lived here. As such, the mansion reflects the development of American identity and taste during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

The grounds at Lyndhurst survive as an outstanding example of 19th-century landscape design. Elements include sweeping lawns accented with shrubs and specimen trees, the curving entrance drive revealing “surprise” views, the angular repetition of the Gothic roofline in the evergreens, and the nation’s first steel-framed conservatory. The rose garden and fernery are later additions.

Lyndhurst in the Movies

Since 1970, Lyndhurst has been a popular location for feature films and television productions. Feature films shot a Lyndhurst include House of Dark Shadows (1979) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971); the 1990 thriller Reversal of Fortune starring Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons as Sunny and Claus von Bülow; the 1930’s period drama Cradle Will Rock from 1999 with Susan Sarandon and John Cusack; and the 2013 Winter’s Tale.

Lyndhurst Events

Lyndhurst Mansion Holiday Tours one of USA Today’s Ten Best

Lyndhurst Mansion is open for guided House Tours April through December. It also offers themed holiday exhibitions for Halloween and Christmas. Their Christmas exhibition was named one of the country’s Ten Best Holiday House Tours by USA Today. Another highlight of their holiday season is their production of Mr. Dickens Tells A Christmas Carol. Mikel Von Brodbeck plays Charles Dickens and tells the well-loved tale as guests journey through the main floor of the beautifully decorated Lyndhurst mansion, meeting the different spirits and characters along the way. ArtRider produces a Crafts at Lyndhurst twice a year, in the spring and fall. With 300 artisans exhibiting, their spring show is the largest in New York State.

During the summer they offer the best outdoor jazz series in Westchester, Sunset Jazz at Lyndhurst Mansion on Thursday nights. In addition to these signature events Lyndhurst has a Spring Blossoms Flower & Antiques Show in April and a Rose Day in June. And it offers a select series of performing arts productions, from plays, recitals, chamber ensembles and magic shows throughout the year in its Carriage House.