The Maryknoll Society has spent over 100 years atop Sunset Hill in Ossining, New York. The property has evolved much over that time, with new buildings replacing the old and greenery from around the world sprouting across the campus. As a way to celebrate our beautiful campus, The Maryknoll Mission Archives presents the Maryknoll Society Center Walking Tour!
The tour can be accessed directly though the link here, and by visiting our Digital Exhibits page. It offers a window into the unique architecture, rich history, and the simple beauty of the Maryknoll Society’s home. The Walking Tour features 12 Points Of Interest which can be viewed virtually, or in person. Each Point will provide a bit of history about that piece of the Maryknoll Society’s Center, along with historic and modern images. Explore the grounds, learn about our long history, and see the evolution yourself!
What is a Walking Tour?
A walking tour is a tour of an historical and/or cultural site undertaken on foot. The Maryknoll Society Center Walking Tour is primarily focused on sharing the history and evolution of our campus. While you can do the tour completely virtually, the best experience will be going outside and walking the path yourself. On the right here, you can see the general walking path and all 12 points, totaling about one mile of walking.
Walk the grounds and appreciate the natural beauty of the modern Society’s Center. When you reach each point, stop to read a bit about the rich history of that piece of the property. Don’t forget to check out the corresponding images. They showcase the evolution of the property, how current buildings have evolved, and how some no longer exist.
Why Create a Walking Tour?
When I first started working at Maryknoll, I would walk the grounds at Lunch to get some exercise. As I walked, I began to note the beauty of the grounds (particularly in the spring), and the unique architecture of the Seminary. Curious, I began to dig deeper into the history of the Maryknoll Society’s home. I learned so much about the campus, and I wanted to find a way to share this newly acquired knowledge. Since this all started with walking the grounds, I figured a Walking Tour would be the perfect medium.
After learning about the evolution of the Maryknoll Society Center, I also wanted to give people a window into the past with this tour. One of its key features is the overlapping photographs, one historic and one modern. You will be able to use the slider button in the center to switch between the two, seeing how the grounds have evolved. Where there once was the Rosary House, Maryknoll’s first Seminary, there are now cars and solar panels. The Maryknoll Sisters’ first home, Old St. Teresa’s, is only represented by a small plaque nowadays. These are just a few examples of how different the Maryknoll Society Center is from its past iterations.
