Woodchuck Lodge (Burroughs, John, Home)
Also known as: Woodchuck Lodge
Why it's listed
Woodchuck Lodge is a modest clapboard farmhouse on a Catskills hillside near Roxbury, New York. Curtis Burroughs built it in 1860-1861 with vernacular Greek Revival and Italianate details. His brother John Burroughs, the naturalist and essayist, first stayed there in 1908, rented it in 1910 and 1911, and bought the farm in 1913 with help from Henry Ford. He added a rustic veranda made of sticks and boughs, a bath, a kitchen and running water from a hillside spring. Burroughs spent long summers here until his death in 1921, writing essays that drew on the fields, orchard and woods around the house. Those surroundings include the Ford lot with its hay barn study site, and the memorial field where he is buried beneath his boyhood rock. His writing on ordinary nature reached a wide audience and encouraged the conservation movement. A non-profit group has owned the lodge since 1975 and opens it to visitors on summer weekends.
Significance in brief: The lodge and the surrounding land are tied to John Burroughs, a popular naturalist and essayist whose writing helped build public interest in nature and the conservation movement. He spent summers there from 1910 until his death in 1921, and the land became a frequent subject of his later essays. The nearby fields, hillside and his grave site are treated as being as important as the house.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 66000512, listed October 15, 1966. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2 mi. from Roxbury on Roxbury Rd., Roxbury |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000512 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1908-1921 |
| Architect / builder | Curtis Burroughs |
| Architectural style | Vernacular late Greek Revival and Italianate detailing, in a variant L-shaped plan |
| Areas of significance | Conservation, Literature |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated December 29, 1962 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned since 1975 by a private non-profit group that opens it to the public on summer weekends; condition listed as good with minor alterations. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 42.29498, -74.58505 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 66000512.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2253138
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.