I am searching for information regarding the place known in the mid-1800s as "Solitude." There are several messages in the archive suggesting that this location is near Arkville but I'm hoping someone can pin it down a bit closer and even provide an exact location. Some additional background: Munsell's history notes that Solitude, or an estate at that location, was part of the Livingston property that came to the Laussat family of Philadelphia owing to debts. Munsell additionally notes that it was inherited by "Lord" Willoughby and eventually bought by Hiram Kelly, with the house or estate becoming known as Locust Grove. Either the estate or the house itself became some kind of summer resort. The Brooklyn Eagle mentions Solitude in several articles dated about 1875, complimentary to the area (at least as I read the language of the times.) It is accurate that Estelle de Laussat and her niece, also Estelle, inherited the property. The older Estelle married (1) Edward Cook of NJ and, in 1853 (2.) Samuel A. Willoughby (his second wife) of Brooklyn. Willoughby was a merchant and banker originally from Nova Scotia who picked up the moniker "Lord" for uncertain reasons. His first wife owned, with her sisters, a large farm that eventually was developed into the current downtown Brooklyn. The son of Samuel and Estelle (Laussat) was Hugh L. Willoughby, born at Solitude in 1856 and later became a well known sportsman, explorer, inventor, and early aviator. The niece, Estelle, married Emile Camile Geyelin, a hydro-engineer who designed the Philadelphia waterworks and begat a very prominent family in the Philly area. I am interested in locating the site of Solitude, learning whether any of the original house still exists, and learning the dates and circumstances of the various changes in ownership and condition. Any help would be appreciated and I'd be pleased to exchange information with interested researchers. Wallace Fullerton Kensington MD