Slabsides (John Burroughs Cabin)
Also known as: Slabsides
Why it's listed
Slabsides is a rustic cabin that naturalist and essayist John Burroughs built in 1895, with the help of a local carpenter, on a rocky ledge at the foot of a cliff west of West Park, New York. Its name comes from the bark-covered slabs on its outer walls. The single-story building has a stone chimney, a rustic porch and exposed log beams. Inside, one ground-floor room served as study, kitchen and bedroom, while the upper floor held a bedroom and a guest dormitory. Burroughs made much of the furniture himself from sumac, birch, hickory and hornbeam. He used the cabin as a summer retreat where he wrote essays later collected in Far and Near and The Ways of Nature, and he received many well-known guests there. Burroughs is credited with establishing the nature essay as a literary form and building public support for conservation. The cabin has changed very little since his death in 1921 and is preserved by the John Burroughs Memorial Association.
Significance in brief: The cabin was Burroughs's summer residence and retreat, where he wrote many essays and entertained prominent visitors. Burroughs is credited with establishing the nature essay as a literary form and with helping create public support for conservation legislation. The cabin remains essentially unchanged, with the furniture he made by hand.
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 68000034, listed November 24, 1968. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W of West Park, West Park |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | November 24, 1968 |
| Reference number | 68000034 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | John Burroughs |
| Areas of significance | Conservation, Literature |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated November 24, 1968 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and unaltered; owned by the John Burroughs Memorial Association, with tours of the cabin by appointment and open houses twice a year. |
| Acreage | 16 |
| Coordinates | 41.79747, -73.97363 (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 68000034.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5190056
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.