Last updated: June 22, 2023
Place
Truants' Meadow
![A small wooden house in a field with trees in the background with fall leaves.](/common/uploads/cropped_image/primary/C8EA37F0-C754-362B-ADBCE5102C341555.jpg?width=1600&quality=90&mode=crop)
NPS Photo
Cellular Signal, Pet Waste Disposal, Pets Allowed, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trailhead
As seen in Julian Alden Weir's painting The Old Rock, now known as The Truants, this meadow exemplifies the dynamic nature of a cultural landscape.
History:
Once a large open field leading to the pond, the meadow is slowly reverting to the encroaching forest behind it. As a result, the meadow is now actively maintained through woodland edge management and annual mowing.
Weir would occasionally paint from his "Palace Car," a studio built with assistance of his resident farmer, Paul Remy. Set on runners and pulled by oxen, the car had windows on four sides and an oil stove, making it a portable, all-season studio. Immortalized in Weir's painting, Landscape: Branchville, The Palace Car, it eventually became a playhouse for his children.