The Grounds

Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters sits on over 400 acres of land. The area immediately surrounding the mansion is landscaped and is composed of well maintained lawns and charming gardens. Beyond that lies Breakstone Lake and miles of untouched woodlands.

Originally inspired by intricate labyrinth designs of ancient times, hedge mazes were developed as a form of entertainment and artistic expression for the aristocracy. The maze offers leisurely amusement through navigational challenges.

The barn on Xavier’s property had been many things over the years. In the mansion’s prime it was a carriage house and stable that held the finest animals and transportation the robber barons could afford. Then it was downgraded to stalling pleasure horses and for storage of a new Model T. By the time the expansive garage was built closer to the mansion every horse was gone and it became a place to store unwanted items. It became shabby enough to become a haunted house for Halloween and was eventually burned down during an attack on the mansion.

When Jean returned to the property as headmistress the stable was rebuilt and the first horses were purchased. Her justification for the expenditure was something along the lines of animal assisted therapy was beneficial to trauma patients but in reality it seemed like a personal desire to restore the mansion's grounds with something beautiful and serene. With the animals arrival a new chore has been added to the routine, stable duty. Students are expected to clean stalls, water the horses, and provide hay before riding any of the horses that are present.

The school’s outdoor basketball court is a full-sized, regulation court designed for both physical education classes and recreational use. The court features a smooth asphalt surface with clearly marked boundary lines, a center circle, and free throw lanes painted in bright, weather-resistant paint. Two sturdy, adjustable-height basketball hoops with breakaway rims are positioned at either end, allowing for use by students of all grade levels. Benches and a shaded viewing area along the side provide seating for spectators and resting players. Adjacent to the basketball court is the school's baseball diamond, a well-maintained field that supports both softball and baseball games. The diamond features a dirt infield with regulation base paths, anchored bases, and a pitcher’s mound. The outfield is grass-covered and regularly mowed, with a chain-link backstop behind home plate for safety. Dugouts provide seating and storage for equipment, and a scoreboard is located along the first-base line for games and scrimmages. The field is used during PE, for seasonal school leagues, and as a recreational resource on weekends.

Sometimes called a Greenhouse, the conservatory was once a symbol of elite status in the 1800's. Housing topical and exotic plants in an intricate building made of glass and ironwork, the wealthy Graymalkin family cultivated ferns, orchids, palms, and citrus trees to their interest in botany and the natural world. Today, the conservatory offers the students and staff a place to refine their botany skills while tending to the exotic plants and trees housed inside.

Recently refurbished, the boathouse on the edge of Breakstone Lake provides storage for the canoes and sailboat used in the summer months. The boathouse includes a small cabin set up with running water and a kitchenette. Originally remodeled with the intent of providing students with a place to change clothes and eat lunch while enjoying the lake it also has the ability to house an individual who would rather live away from the noise and chaos of the mansion.

The crown jewel of Xavier's School is sole access to the sprawling, placid waters of Breakstone Lake. Providing cool, clear waters for a multitude of activities, the lake is used for swimming and boating in the warm months and a perfect place for ice skating in the winter. Serene and surrounded by thick woods, it also provides the residents of the school with a place to reflect and ponder while being surrounded by the beauty of nature.

Filled with towering trees of sugar maples, eastern hemlocks, yellow birch, white pines, and oaks, the woods past the mansion’s grounds rise up in a dense, multi‑layered canopy of ancient trees, their bark deeply fissured and their trunks thick and weathered. Below them, younger trees and understory species fill in gaps where one of the giants have fallen, allowing sunlight to speckle through in shifting patches across fern‑covered ground, mosses, lichens, and a thick layer of leaf litter. The air is cool and damp under the shade, heavy with the scent of earth, mushrooms, and decomposing wood. Birds, insects, and small mammals flit through, taking advantage of the quiet complexity the secluded area provides. The forest feels alive, layered, resilient, as though time moves differently under its lush green leaves.