November, 1911 
Boag ei oA? Se RSE 
AMERICAN HOMES 
AND GARDENS 
ee 
“T aurel Lodge,” the studio cottage of Miss Ida J. Burgess, Woodstock, New York, nestles on the crest of one of the lovely Catskill foothills 
A Mountain Lodge 
The Story of a Delightful Little House in the Catskills and of How Its Owner Came to Build It 
By Josephine Burleigh 
Photographs by the Author 
JHE first thought that comes to an artist who 
<|| contemplates building a studio home in the 
country is that of the choice of its location. 
Of course, this would seem to be true in the 
matter of any selection, but to the artist the 
surroundings of his house and his environ- 
ment count above almost all the other considerations, even 
above those of comfort and 
accessibility, which cannot 
be said in connection with 
those whose vocations and 
avocations throw them into 
different fields of endeavor. 
The little house which 
forms the subject of this 
article is the home of an 
artist, and one notes that 
for a long time it was a 
question as to whether or 
not its owner should choose 
a spot on the seashore or 
in the mountain country for 
its placing. Finally, after 
much thought, the high- 
lands were chosen, and the 
charm of the Catskills with 
all their Rip Van Winklish 
itchen approach to “Laurel 
The k 
Lodge”’ is partly up these steps, that 
have been made of stones hewn from the little quarry at their side 
associations prevailed. Near one of the many small vil- 
-lages of Ulster County (so remote from main roads of 
travel that one must drive some five or six miles to reach 
a railroad and where modernity has not found it accessible 
enough to spoil the quaintness of the place by anything like 
an invasion), “Laurel Lodge,” for so its mistress has named 
the house, came to be built. Other artists also have 
found this quaint corner of 
the countryside a haven for 
their inspirations, and a de- 
lightful colony of congenial 
neighbors has sprung up in 
these lovely hills. That also 
presented itself as a fur- 
ther inducement to this 
home-builder for choosing 
the mountain land, though 
in doing so a deep love for 
the sea seemed, for a while, 
to fight for the place of a 
final choice. Perhaps in no 
other nook in the whole 
Catskill country is more de- 
lightful scenery to be found. 
Here are wonderful trees, 
mysterious ravines, and vel- 
vety fields and the quaint 
