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Seton Village
House at Seton Village.jpg
House at Seton Village
Seton Village is located in New Mexico
Seton Village
Location in New Mexico
Seton Village is located in the United States
Seton Village
Location in the United States
Nearest city Santa Fe, New Mexico
Area 43.7 acres (17.7 ha)
Built 1946 (1946)
NRHP reference No. 66000492
Quick facts for kids
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966
Designated NHLD December 21, 1965

Seton Village is a National Historic Landmark District in a rural residential area south of Santa Fe in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It encompasses a residential settlement and educational facility established in 1930 by Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946), an educator and conservationist best known as a founder of the Boy Scouts of America. The district includes the remains of Seton's 32-room home and other residential and educational buildings constructed mostly between 1930 and 1945. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

Seton Castle

Christmas luminarios at Seton Village
Christmas luminarios at Seton Village, 1950s

Seton began designing and building his castle in 1933. The 32-room, 6,900 square foot (640 m2) multi-level building has a flat-roof and rough hewn stone wall exterior. The interior has oak floors and plaster walls with the ceilings supported by log rafters. The Castle was built on a hill at an elevation of 7,000 feet (2100 m).

Community activities

The Village was home to the Seton Institute, including the Woodcraft League and the College of Indian Wisdom, which provided Woodcraft and Scouting leaders with a variety of training opportunities. The Institute closed at the outbreak of World War II.

At Seton's invitation, Maurice and Marceil Taylor moved their printing equipment to New Mexico in 1938 and set up the Seton Village Press. The Village Press closed in 1943, also because of the effects of the War.

Seton Village today

Seton Village is designated a National Historic Landmark and a New Mexico State Cultural Property. The castle itself burned down while being restored in 2005. The Academy for the Love of Learning, an educational organization which owns the property, has decided to preserve the castle ruins as a "contemplative garden." The Academy's Seton Legacy Project maintains a collection of art and archives pertaining to Ernest Thompson Seton. The Academy Campus, including the Seton art gallery, opened in 2011.

The village has a view of the Jemez Mountains and Mount Taylor.

Education

It is within Santa Fe Public Schools.

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