Yaddo and Katrina Trask

In 1926 Yaddo opened it doors to men and women looking for inspiration, among them writers, artists and musicians such as Sylvia Plath, Leonard Bernstein, Truman Capote and Mario Puzo. It had been 26 years since Katrina Trask and her husband Spencer co-authored a Testamentary Agreement that stated "... we desire to found here a permanent home to which may come from time to time for rest and enjoyment authors, painters, sculptures, musicians and other artists both men and women few in number and chosen for creative gifts and besides and not less for the power and the [will] and the purpose to make these gifts useful to the world."

The story of Yaddo is tragic yet the legacy is beautiful. The story began in the late 1800s when a young man named George Foster Peabody met Spencer Trask, a young investment banker who would soon form his own company and invite George to join as a partner. Spencer Trask & Company was an investment house which would become heavily involved in many ventures, including two that would shape both the young United States and the world, electricity and railroads. The majority of their fortunes came from investment in the Edison Electric Company, and when it eventually became part of the newly formed General Electric in 1892, George would serve on GE's board of directors. (GE is in my neighborhood!)

In 1873, both young men were introduced to Katrina Nichols, a young woman from Brooklyn. The story goes that both men fell in love with Katrina, but it was Spencer who married her in November, 1874. The marriage did not cause the friends to split, and the three remained very close until their respective deaths.

The Trasks spent a lot of time in Saratoga during the summer, and in 1875 Katrina gave birth to their first child, a son named Alanson. Sadly Alanson died of meningitis in 1880 at the Trasks' Brooklyn home. Spencer bought a large estate in Saratoga hoping the distance and peaceful surroundings would help Katrina recover from the loss of her firstborn. The Trasks spent the next few years shaping their new home and exploring their mutual passion for the arts, and during this period they had another child, Christina. It was Christina who devised the name 'Yaddo'.

By 1888 the Trask family was four with the addition of a son, Spencer Jr. It was also the year that Katrina caught diphtheria, and the doctors did not believe she would recover. Spencer Jr. and Christina were allowed to visit their mother to say goodbye, and in another sad twist of fate both children caught the disease and soon died, one two days after the other. Katrina recovered.

The Trasks had one more child, a daughter who was born one year later. She only lived for three days.

The tragedies did not stop. In 1891 Spencer caught pneumonia while in Brooklyn and was not expected to survive. The mansion in Saratoga had just been completed. While Spencer was battling for his life the mansion caught on fire and was completely destroyed. Spencer asked to see pictures of the ruins and immediately began planning the new mansion. He recovered from his illness and in 1893 the new mansion was complete, including a mosaic designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

With no children to leave a legacy to, the Trasks decided to establish the artists' retreat. They formed a corporation and gathered trustees to ensure that their vision for Yaddo would survive. Among the trustees was their dear friend George Foster Peabody.

The Spencers enjoyed some measure of peace until 1909. On New Year's Eve Spencer was called on urgent business to New York City. He never made it. A train accident near Croton resulted in Spencer's private car being crushed during a collision with a freight train, and he was the only fatality.

Katrina buried herself in her commitment to her vision for Yaddo. In 1921 her health began to fail, and in February of that year she married her long-time friend George. Katrina died less than a year later.

She left behind not only Yaddo but a personal legacy of her own. Katrina was an artist in her own right, leaving behind a collection of works that can still be found today. 

There is much more to the story of Yaddo, and if you have the opportunity to visit please do so. Learn more about Yaddo and the people behind her legacy. There are many wonderful stories there, and many believe that Katrina still roams the halls of her beloved Yaddo, keeping a watchful eye on the artists who continue to draw on the creative energy of Yaddo.

When you walk around the grounds of Yaddo you can feel the sadness that permeates the air. The sadness is not heavy and depressing, which may seem at odds with the tragedies associated with the family that brought Yaddo to life. It is a peaceful sadness tinged on the edges by mystery. As a young child I would peek through the gates, then tip-toe through the trees as far as I dared go to get a view of the mansion on the hill. I still do, hoping for a glimpse of something, but don't ask me what. That is my mystery.