A Plea for Manual Work was written by Whitehead and published in 1903 to promote his vision for Byrdcliffe: "...our locality was chosen for three things: its beauty, its healthfulness, and its accessibility...[we] have arranged for a summer school of painting and decorative design...[we] are prepared to take pupils in cabinet making and woodcarving...[It] is our intention to make furniture of a simple kind which shall be good in proportion, and to which distinction may be given by the application of color and carving by artists' hands...[We] will give a welcome to any true craftsmen who are in sympathy with our ideas and who will help us to realize them."

Artists and craftspeople were attracted to Byrdcliffe and by 1905 over one hundred were in residence. Unfortunately, Whitehead ruled Byrdcliffe as an absolute monarch and alienated his closest allies, forcing them to leave the colony. Bolton Brown, a painter and teacher who found the Woodstock site in 1902, left Byrdcliffe after a year to settle in the village of Woodstock. Hervey White, a poet and author who helped Whitehead establish Byrdcliffe, left the enclave in 1904 to establish his own Maverick Colony off Maverick Road in Woodstock. In this way, Byrdcliffe helped seed Woodstock and the surrounding area as an artist's colony. While Whitehead presided like an autocratic country squire over Byrdcliffe, his vision attracted artists, writers and musicians who would create the greater Woodstock Art Colony.

Although the arts and crafts utopian experiment soon ran out of steam, the continuing magic of Byrdcliffe enthralled many notable persons including the educator John Dewey, author Thomas Mann and naturalist John Burroughs. Isadora Duncan danced at White Pines; Bob Dylan lived in a house at Byrdcliffe in the '60s and early '70s; Joanne Woodward was involved in the river Arts Repertory at the Byrdcliffe Theatre. After Whitehead's death in 1929, his widow, Jane, and son Peter struggled to keep the colony alive. After Jane's death in 1955, Peter sold much of the land to pay taxes and maintenance on the heart of the colony which he kept intact. The Whiteheads intended to preserve Byrdcliffe "for the purpose of promoting among the residents of Woodstock...the study, practice and development of skill in the fine arts and crafts, as well as a true appreciation thereof..." contd.

Byrdcliffe contd.

Upon Peter Whitehead's death in 1975, Byrdcliffe was left to the Woodstock Guild of Craftsmen who have continued to maintain and administer programs at the colony. In 1979, the Byrdcliffe Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historical and architectural significance. Byrdcliffe's cottages have been rented since 1984 only to working artists, maintaining sympathy with the founder's creative vision. These cottages bear romantic names like Angelus, Morning Star, Varenka, Serenata, Fleur de Lis, and Evening Star and nestle along winding lanes under the forest canopy. A large barn originally housed farm animals and hay during the colony's early years when self-sufficiency was a goal. Today the barn is used for concerts, plays and art shows with a pottery studio and classroom on its lower level. The Villeta Inn houses 14 artists accepted into Byrdcliffe Artist's Residency Program during the colony's summer season.

The painter Carl Eric Lindin remembered the early years when "the birds sang as if the earth had just been newly created. And Byrdcliffers sang too, and danced and made love to each other, just like the birds."

Byrdcliffe remains a vibrant part of the cultural life of the Catskill region thanks to the careful stewardship of the Woodstock Guild. Architect Lester Walker, who serves as Guild board president, has drawn a design plan for the preservation of the Byrdcliffe Colony and the Guild is committed to the goal of creating a year-round Artist's Residency Program. By the time of its centenary in 2002, Byrdcliffe will be assured to its continuing impact on the cultural life of our community, through its theater, classes, and artist's residences.

In the 19th century the rise of the Hudson River School of painting drew artists to our region, and Byrdcliffe has a place in the history of artist's retreats which includes the late 19th century Pakatakan Colony near Arkville and the Cragsmoor Colony near Ellenville. Before Byrdcliffe, artists were drawn to Woodstock for stays at the Overlook Mountain House and Meads Mountain House. After Byrdcliffe's zenith the classes of the Art Students League brought many artists to Woodstock. However, it was a result of Byrdcliffe's creation that Woodstock attained its prominence as one of America's premier art colonies.