What is Hawkwood Mansion

Hawkwood Mansion was a large estate located in what is today Anchor Diamond Park. The house dates back to the late 1700s, originally built by Henry Walton. In the 1830s it became known as the Delevan Farm, owned by the affluent Edward Delevan family. In the 1880s it was purchased by the wealthy Guy Ellis Baker (and his family), who renamed the estate “Hawkwood.” 

Vintage Grandeur and Prominence

Back in its heyday, Hawkwood was no modest farmhouse — it was a mansion built for comfort, status, and entertaining. According to historical descriptions:

The “receiving hall” measured about 20 × 30 feet — large enough for balls and concerts. 

Interiors reportedly featured crimson wallpaper, mahogany dining furniture, canopied beds (including a Victorian sleigh bed), and four pianos (one was a full grand). 

The mansion had 11 fireplaces — one in every main room — and its walls were lined in brick, supposedly for protection against stray bullets and arrows (an odd but vivid detail). 

It was technologically advanced for its area/time: Hawkwood was reportedly the first house in Ballston with running water and gas lights (water + carbide gas). There were a variety of outbuildings: a “tenant house” for farm workers, a creamery, an ice house, hog house, barns — indicating Hawkwood was more than just a mansion: it was a full working estate/farm. 

Historical Visits & Notable Connections

Theodore Roosevelt — before and during his time as Governor of New York — reportedly visited Hawkwood. He hunted on the estate and sometimes brought family members along. On one visit, his daughter fell into a horse trough; he cleaned her off and carried on, the anecdote still told in local lore. 

Guy Baker’s brother, William Bliss Baker, was a noted painter, and the family had strong ties to culture and the arts. 

When Guy married in 1904, his bride was Louise Irene Palma Di Cesnola, daughter of Luigi Palma di Cesnola — a Civil War veteran, Medal-of-Honor recipient, and the first director of Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their wealth and connections helped solidify Hawkwood’s reputation as one of Ballston’s finest estates. 

Fate: From Mansion to Park

The mansion eventually burned down — decades ago — but the site did not disappear. Stone foundations, fireplaces, and other remnants remain on the property. 

The property — 246 acres — was purchased in 2015 through a trust established by Frank Schidzick Jr. and donated to the Town of Ballston under a conservation easement with Saratoga PLAN. Today, the land is preserved as Anchor Diamond Park: a passive park open to the public, with multiple trails for walking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing. 

Interpretive signs along the trails provide visitors with history of the estate (providing this very content) — so people can connect with both nature and the local heritage. 

Why Hawkwood Matters

Local heritage: Hawkwood reflects a slice of Saratoga-County history — from early settlement, through 19th-century wealth, to modern conservation efforts.

Architectural / estate legacy: Its grandeur, sophistication, and early adoption of amenities (running water, gas lights) show how some rural estates aspired to urban-style comfort and status.

Cultural & historical memory: Visits from important historic figures, links to prominent families and institutions (like the Metropolitan Museum of Art), and local stories (like the Teddy Roosevelt anecdote) tie the estate into broader American history.

Modern public space: The transition from private estate to public park exemplifies adaptive reuse and land conservation — returning land once held by the elite to a resource for everyone.

The trail winds through a peaceful forest, with the gentle sound of cascading water accompanying you nearly the whole way. Several small waterfalls and cascades line the creek, creating plenty of spots to pause and take in the scenery. One of my favorite touches is the beautiful stone wall that runs alongside part of the path — it adds a surprising and almost storybook-like feel to the walk.

My lady spent a lovely afternoon exploring at a leisurely pace.