South Mountain Road

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

South Mountain Road is a winding, two-lane historic road in New City, New York, a hamlet in Rockland County. Historic High Tor State Park is an attraction on South Mountain Road.

Although the post office and some individuals abbreviate it as S. Mountain Rd., the south in the name is not a directional. There is no North Mountain Road. It gets its name from being the road south of the mountain.

In the early 20th Century, the road attracted a host of artistic people who made up an informal artists colony. Members of the group included included Maxwell Anderson, the playrwright (in later years, actor Barry Bostwick lived in Anderson's house, selling it in 2005); composer Kurt Weill and his wife, singer/actress Lotte Lenya; actor/director/producer John Houseman, and architect/potter/painter Henry Varnum Poor.

Maxwell Anderson's dauguter, Hesper Anderson, wrote a book titled "South Mountain Road: A Daughter's Journey of Discovery" (Simon & Schuster, 2000) about her family life and this circle of artists.