Open Space Institute buys land to improve Buttermilk Falls State Park access
The four-acre property in Tompkins County was purchased for $1.3 million to expand park facilities and parking.
The Open Space Institute has purchased a four-acre property in Tompkins County for $1.3 million to improve access to Buttermilk Falls State Park, according to a Times of India report. The land was bought from the Margaret M. Rumsey Trust and will be transferred to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Located between Route 13 and the existing park entrance, the site contains a former bed-and-breakfast. The Open Space Institute plans to use the area for a new trailhead, reconfigured parking, and improved traffic flow to assist the nearly 400,000 annual visitors.
The structure on the property may eventually provide housing for AmeriCorps service members who work in the Finger Lakes region. While the Open Space Institute owns the land, it will maintain all structures and coordinate with state officials regarding future requirements.
The acquisition is intended to support a larger network of multi-use trails, including the Black Diamond Trail expansion. This project aims to link Buttermilk Falls State Park with Taughannock Falls State Park, Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, and Robert H.
Treman State Park.
Dave Rumsey, representing the Margaret M. Rumsey Trust, noted that the Federal-style brick house was built around 1825. Margaret Rumsey had operated the building as a bed-and-breakfast from 1983 until shortly before her death in 2021.