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hermitage
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The History of The Hermitage
In 1905, with the help of Father H. Havens Richards, SJ, St. Ann's
Hermitage was the first building in Poughkeepsie bought by the
Marist Brothers. It had been the homestead of the Mac Pherson
family. Brother Zepheriny, FMS, purchased this estate from its
owner, Mrs. Goodwin of New York City. The property which was at
that time a mile outside the city of Poughkeepsie included some
35 acres north of the Waterworks Road and sold for $9,000. Some
accounts state that a large part of the price came, with the
agreement of his sister, from Brother Zepheriny's patrimony.
There is no specific statement to that effect in the official records,
but two extracts from the deliberations of the General Council of
the Brothers at that time shed some light on the subject (cf.
minutes of the council Feb 15, 1905.) For more details see Go to
the Land I Will Show You, p.96 by Leonard Voegtle, FMS.
This building was used as a Provincial House until the early fifties.
In addition to the provincial administration, it usually housed
about 75 to 130 scholastics. There was a chapel with a pipe organ
where daily Mass was celebrated by a Jesuit from St. Andrew's.
The provincial tailors who made the cassocks for all the brothers
in the province, as well as their young brother assistants, lived
there with the director, a cook and several young brothers who
helped in the print shop, garden and laundry. A farmer who took
care of the cows and pigs, and two farmers who maintained an
extensive vegetable garden and greenhouse across from St.
Peter's, also resided in the Hermitage. There was also an
infirmary that housed anywhere from five to thirteen brothers
needing medical attention.

*click on any image to enlarge*


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9/8/21, 12:53 PM
Acknowledgment Page
https://dev.lb.marist.edu/archives/MHP/acknowledgment.html
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Project Directors
Dr. Brian Henry Desilets

Dr. Linus Richard Foy

John Patrick Noone
From the beginning, Marist Heritage has been a collaborative effort.
We appreciate the contributions of the Marist Brothers and the Marists All
community, who by supplying information and personal memories, have given vitality,
scope and depth to this project
Under the guidance and direction of Dr. Brian Henry Desilets, the initial web pages
were designed and created by the following Marist College students: Michele van
Brero (Hermitage, St. Peter's, Kieran Gate House, Greystone, Marist Brothers
Builders, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel).....Tage Haun (Bech Homestead, Marian,
Donnelly).....Fang Fang Xu (Boat House, Byrne House, Kirk House).....Courtney Gutt
(Bech Family History).....Vij lyer (Cemetery).....Rahkee Chopra (Fontaine Hall).
All the final Marist Heritage web pages were either created, revised, rewritten
and/or reshaped by John Patrick Noone, who is solely responsible for any errors
contained therein.
We thank Richard Branigan for proofreading the Marist Heritage web pages.
We recognize the contributions of our consultants: John Ansley for his input on the
format and contents of the various web pages. Also Victor VanCarpels for his
frequent consultations and guidance in the graphics included in this CD. His
patience and dedication while working with us made the overall results more
professional.
We are grateful to Barbara McMullen for the use of the Ecommerce facility at Marist
College.
We are indebted to the McCann Foundation which provided the funds necessary to make
this project a reality.
John Patrick Noone, editor

November 15, 2002
*this page is printer ready




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