Major Bowes Retreat Center
9 Allapartus Road, Ossining, NY

A Retreat and Conference Center in Westchester County available to church, student and religious groups in the Metropolitan New York area.

Major Bowes is owned and operated by a board of Lutheran lay persons and pastors especially for the needs of Lutheran campus ministry, churches and young adults. It is open year round.

The facility was given to the Lutheran Church in 1939 by Major Edward Bowes, who was a prominent radio personality and impresario (known particularly for the original Amateur Hours) until his death in 1946. It had been the Westchester home for him and Mrs. Bowes, the late actress Margaret Illington. They planted thousands of laurel bushes, named it Laurel Hill and surrounded the triangular estate of three acres with a thick stone wall.

The property has since served as a retreat for youth and adults with close ties to the Lutheran Campus Ministry in New York City. Substantial grants from the Atlantic District LCMS and the ELCA have permitted the volunteers to make significant improvements on the property.

General Information

• The Retreat Center can accommodate up to 36 people. Supervision of youth/children shall be on a 7:1 ratio
• Bunk beds, blankets and pillows are provided. Guests should bring towels and either sleeping bags or sheets and pillow cases.
• Parking is limited to about ten cars in the driveway. There is no parking on Allapartus Road.
• Late evening gatherings should be in the "Playhouse", maintaining quiet for the residents and neighbors. There is no phone on the property, but emergency calls may be arranged through the resident managers.
• Retreat guests are asked to clean up for themselves upon leaving as the facility is maintained by volunteers.

• Generally retreats do their own cooking and cleaning. There is a modern kitchen complete with utensils.
• Provision can also be made with the resident manager, Christina Miller, for some or all meals to be prepared for retreats. The menu and cost are arranged directly with her. She may be reached at (914) 923-1528.

Weekend (year round)

$20 per person per night. $350 minimum for the weekend. A non-refundable deposit of $100 should be sent with the registration form.

Day

When available, the Retreat may be used during the daytime on weekends with no overnight stay, although full weekend bookings will be given priority. The fee is $150 with no per person charge.

Weekday

Use of the facilities from Sunday night through Thursday night is subject to negotiable fees. Please contact registrar.

By car:

Exit the Taconic State Parkway at Route 134 and proceed west two miles,
or
Exit Route 9A at Route 134 and proceed east one mile to Allapartus Road, a steeply winding narrow road. The Retreat is the last property on the right before Allapartus Road joins Spring Valley Road (look for the large iron gate entrance to the driveway). The narrow driveway holds about ten cars. There is no parking on Allapartus Road.

By Train:

The nearest train station is the Croton-Harmon station on the Hudson Division of Metro-North. The fare is significantly lower if you start from the Marble Hill station, rather than Grand Central Station. Directions for those who pick you up or for the short taxi ride to the retreat are as follows: Take Route 9 south, then Route 9A south toward Briarcliff Manor. Turn left on Route 134, following directions above.

The area around Major Bowes is full of opportunities for recreation and sightseeing:

Teatown Lake Reservation is a mile east on Spring Valley Road. This is a nature preserve with clearly-marked hiking trails, winter skating and a year round nature program. Exhibits are free and arrangements can be made ahead of time for guided tours with a naturalist foe a small fee. For information call (914) 762-2912.

Croton Dam and Croton Gorge Park where, after a short drive over the top of the dam, you may descend to the base and enjoy the large field and the water rushing out of the dam. Nominal fee for parking in the summer months.

Ossining Visitor's Center has exhibits on the Croton Aqueduct and the Sing Sing Prison. Brochures are available for a walking tour of historic Ossining, and guided tours for the aqueduct may be arranged for in advance (914) 941-3189.

Franklin D Roosevelt State Park is off the Taconic Parkway about five miles north of the Retreat, offering summer recreation, swimming pool and picnicking at the standard parking fee for state parks. (formerly called Mohansic State Park). (914) 962-4065.

Croton Point Park juts our into the Hudson River and offers picnicking, hiking and fishing for the standard parking fees for state parks. (914) 271-3293.

Bear Mountain State Park and the West Point Military Academy are across the Hudson River for tours and picnicking.

Tarrytown, south of the Retreat, offers "Lyndhurst", and 1838 Gothic Revival Style mansion designed by Alexander Jackson Davis (tours; admission, (914) 631-4481), "Sunnyside", the home of Washington Irving, and 1835 Romantic/Dutch Colonial Revival style home (Tours and film by admission, (914) 631-2800), and the Tarrytown Historical Museum (914) 631-8374.

A complete brochure on historical Westchester may be obtained form the Office of Cultural Affairs & Tourism by calling (914) CULTURE.

Gift and Bequests

The Major Edward Bowes Memorial Retreat, Inc. is a Not-For-Profit Membership Corporation in the State of New York (1939), welcoming gifts and bequests that will continue to serve the Retreat on behalf of local churches, Christian student groups and young people, befitting the original gift of the property by Major Bowes.

To make reservations

Write deposit checks to: "Major Bowes Retreat Center"

Either fill out the on-line reservation form

or

print out the form and mail in with your deposit to:
Retreat Registrar
Major Bowes Retreat Center
9 Allapartus Road
Ossining, NY 10562

For more information or to check for available dates, call the Retreat Registrar at 914-923-1528, or send email to the Registrar.