In 1922, he engaged New York City architect John Russell Pope to advise him on the design of the estate. When finished, the estate had facilities for every sport except golf. Visitors to Caumsett were able to enjoy tennis (indoor and outdoor), horseback riding, pheasant shooting, skeet-shooting, polo, trout fishing, swimming and boating. Field developed a herd of eighty head of prize cattle and a complete dairy farm. The self-sufficient, self-contained community had its own water and electrical supply. Vegetables were raised in its truck gardens and wood came from the estate's own stands of oak, pine, dogwood and locust.
The mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.The Marshall Field III estate was purchased by New York State for $4 million on February 3, 1961 and became a state park. Lloyd Neck was originally part of Queens County, New York. The decision to build this mansion at this spot is not only for the view of the water, but many wealthy people in that era liked to place their house as far from the main road as possible so visitors who would take the long, windy road to the house would say "Wow, he owns so much beautiful land" You can see the same thing as you approach Hearst Castle at San Simeon, California. Hearst even imported animals for visitors to view as they winded their way up his hill.
Directions to the cache: From Huntington Village, take W Neck Rd all the way north through Lloyd Harbor. Continue into Lloyd Neck where the road changes to Lloyd Neck Rd. Male a left into Caumsett Park and head north. Park and take either one of the paved bike paths north to the mansion. Cache is on the north (back) side of the mansion, where most people stop to take in the view of “Fresh Pond” at the bottom of the hill and the Long Island Sound beyond. Hint: In the 1800’s, millions of these were manufactured by the Smith Brothers at the southern point of Centre Island. Many are still scattered on the beach down below.
*** NYS Park Permit # 14-0629 ***