Image of Mayknoll Estate courtesy of the Bryant Library's Local History Collection.
By: Sophia Lian (a Roslyn Landmark Society High School volunteer)
The grand Mayknoll Estate is an 8.2-acre manor located on Glenwood Road in Roslyn Harbor that is known both for its historic charm and influential residents and visitors. Mayknoll was built in 1855 by the Willowmere family for their daughter, Ellen Eliza, and her husband, Robert Stuart, Jr.
Stuart was a midshipman in the U.S. Navy that eventually earned the rank of lieutenant. In an unfortunate fire while the house was being constructed in 1854, the Victorian-style building burned down. It was rebuilt within a year on the original foundation. It then passed through another set of hands after Stuart’s death in 1863 during the Civil War.
Ellen Eliza later married Elijah Ward, a former U.S. Congressman, Judge Advocate General of New York State, and Civil War veteran. Ellen Eliza Ward was remembered to have a strong connection to Trinity Church because she was a member of the parish and donated land to the Trinity Church property. After Ellen Eliza Ward’s death, her children donated the Roslyn Clock Tower in her memory.
By 1895, both Elijah Ward and Ellen Eliza Ward had passed away and the house was later purchased by a handful of individuals before it was eventually acquired by William J. Casey, one of the best-known owners of the estate. While working for the Rogers & Wells law firm, Casey became the head of Ronald Reagan’s political campaign and after Reagan’s victory he was appointed to the position of CIA director. Casey was recognized for his anticommunist political strategies during his time as the CIA director. Casey died as a controversial leader because he was accused of being involved in the Iran-Contra Affair.
The Mayknoll estate has been passed down through prominent figures such as steamship captains, U.S. Congressmen, and CIA directors. Beyond the beauty of the waterfront property by Hempstead Harbor, the legacy of the former householders and past of the Mayknoll Estate should also be remembered.
To learn more about the history of Mayknoll, visit the Roslyn Landmark Society’s website at roslynlandmarks.org/profiles. You can also visit the Bryant Library’s Local History Collection at localhistory.bryantlibrary.org/ to further explore Roslyn’s historical past.
Sophia Lian is a Roslyn Landmark Society 2024 Gardiner Young Scholars Program high school intern and part of the new “Young Historians” collaboration between the Roslyn Landmark Society and Blank Slate Media. Special thanks to the Bryant Library’s Local History Collection for providing research assistance.
Sources:
“Mayknoll (Locust Knoll): Profiles: Roslyn Landmark Society.” Roslyn Landmark Society. Accessed July 6, 2024. https://www.roslynlandmarks.org/profiles/mayknoll-locust-knoll.
“Mayknoll Estate.” New York Lifestyles Magazine. Accessed July 6, 2024. https://newyorklifestylesmagazine.com/articles/2018/12/60.html.
“ROBERT STUART, JR., 2LT, USA.” U.S. Naval Academy Virtual Memorial Hall. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/ROBERT_STUART,_JR.,_2LT,_USA
“William J. Casey.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed July 6, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-J-Casey.
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