Editing Cornish Estate Ruins (section)

== Later Active Years and Eventual Decline ==

There do not seem to be any records that document when work at the dairy farm was ceased, but it likely occurred at some point in the mid-1930s as Cornish grew too old to make frequent enough trips out to the estate.  By 1936, Cornish was 75 years old and his health was slowly failing.  Seeking to preserve the natural beauty of his property on [[Breakneck Ridge]] forever, he offered to donate the entirety of the estate to the Taconic State Park Commission.  His offer was declined on the grounds that the terrain was unsuitable for parkland, was already largely protected by laws forbidding quarrying<ref name="hvr-website"></ref> and could potentially be too costly to maintain.<ref name="hvr-book"></ref>

Less than two years later, Edward Cornish passed away at his office in New York City in May 1938.  Within only two weeks, his wife passed away, as well.  Accordingly, the entire property passed to the Cornish's heirs and the next 18 years of the estate's existence are largely a mystery.  There is no record of how often the estate was visited, if at all.  Vague accounts seem to suggest that the ''mansion'' itself was probably maintained on a limited basis, though it's not clear if the extensive outbuildings and dairy farm were also maintained or if they instead began an early decline to ruin.

However, it is known that a fire of indeterminate origin broke out in the mansion in Autumn of 1956 and consumed much of the interior.  There is no evidence that efforts were made at repairs, so it was at this point that we can say conclusively that the estate was abandoned to the elements.