The art museum is located in a mansion built by Edward Severin Clark, an heir to the Singer Manufacturing Company fortune. After Clark's death in the 1930s his brother, Stephen Carlton Clark, inherited Edward's estate and gave the mansion to New York state for the art museum. Clark was an avid collector and donated much of the artwork in the fine art and folk art collections. The museum is named in honor of James Fenimore Cooper, author of the popular Leatherstocking Tales, and the original owner of the land.
The museum's collection includes fine art, folk art, and Native American art. There are also changing exhibits and an exhibit on the Coopers who first came to the area in 1790. The Native American art is outstanding.
The museum is accessible. We did not notice the terrace overlooking the lake at the rear of the museum or the dirt walking trail that loops around the property and leads to a 1790s Seneca log house and a 1750s reproduction of a Mohawk bark house. I think the terrace and the trail are accessible. The houses are only open on special days.
Parking for cars and RVs is available along the curved driveway at the mansion. There's also a small lot at the north end of the driveway and a large lot a few hundred feet north. Paved paths connect the lots. Museum 42.71645, -74.92829
So many museums, so little time! :- )
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