An Agrarian Lifestyle

Looking over the farm from the Lindenwald Tower

NPS Photo

Transforming these neglected acres into a productive farm was an engaging endeavor. President Van Buren encouraged his friends to invest in their own acreage and reap the benefits of rural life. In April 1849 he wrote to his friend Gorham Worth, “I would not again trust my nerves to so near an approach to one of the seats of political and Bank corruptions. Why can’t you decide upon becoming an honest and virtuous man, and plant yourself in my neighborhood upon a good farm[?]”