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The Grounds at Steepletop

During her years at Steepletop, Millay not only enjoyed the rural beauty of the surrounding acres but carried out several exterior landscape “creations.” She created a series of sunken gardens, including a rose garden, an outdoor bar, a swimming pool, and a badminton court.

With her husband, Millay grew fresh vegetables in an extensive kitchen garden, adjacent to the ice house (a necessity prior to the advent of refrigerators). She also had a small writing cabin built in a pine grove where she could think, read, and write. For recreation, she and Eugen enjoyed playing on their "dream" clay tennis court on a field above the house.

The grounds at Steepletop are noteworthy not only for their role in the life of a major literary figure but also for their innate beauty and charm, which reflects the personal taste and idiosyncrasies of their owners. Through its Preservation Center program, the Garden Conservancy is working with the Millay Society to restore the gardens and grounds to their original loveliness.

In 2003, the Friends of the Millay Society inaugurated the Millay Poetry Trail, a wood road leading to the Millay family gravesites, along which are posted Millay’s nature poems.