Roseland Cottage
Roseland Cottage was constructed in 1846 as the summer home of Henry Chandler Bowen and his family. Bowen was born in Woodstock but built his career in New York City as a successful businessman, newspaper publisher, and philanthropist. Although he spent much of his adult life in New York, he maintained a strong attachment to his hometown and invested generously in Woodstock’s schools, public spaces, and community life.
Bowen commissioned architect Joseph C. Wells to design Roseland Cottage in the Gothic Revival style. Its steep pointed gables, decorative bargeboards, tall chimneys, diamond-paned windows, and board-and-batten exterior distinguish it from the more traditional homes surrounding Woodstock Green. Its coral-pink color has made it locally familiar as the Pink House.
The property was designed as more than a private residence. Its formal garden contains twenty-one flowerbeds arranged within borders of boxwood, following a pattern established during the nineteenth century. The carriage barn contains what is recognized as the nation’s oldest surviving indoor bowling alley, where Bowen’s family and guests could enjoy a popular form of recreation.
Beginning in 1870, Bowen hosted elaborate Fourth of July celebrations that brought thousands of visitors to Woodstock. The programs included speeches, music, fireworks, and discussions of national issues. Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley were among the prominent guests welcomed by Bowen. Other visitors included Henry Ward Beecher, Julia Ward Howe, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., and John C. Frémont.
Roseland Cottage remained in the Bowen family until it was acquired by Historic New England in 1970. Much of its original furniture, interior decoration, and family belongings remains in place, allowing the house to tell the story of both family life and public influence during the nineteenth century. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992, Roseland Cottage preserves the world created by one of Woodstock’s most influential families.
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