Great Estates of the Hudson River Valley
One of the many stories told along the banks of the Hudson is that of
wealth and power. From the families who possessed the earliest patents
- the Van Cortlandts, Philipses, Livingstons, Schuylers, and Van Renselaers
- to the "Robber Barons" of the Gilded Age - The Mills, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers,
and others - the Hudson has been home to many of the families who have
shaped the culture and industry of the United States.
At various points in our history, these families and their estates were
the focal point of the nation. During the period of nearly 50 years from
the Civil War until World War I, they dominated business, politics, fashion,
and culture.
Lesson plans on the Great Estates of the Hudson Valley will seek to present
many of these mansions and their families in individual studies as well
as in larger groupings by era and interest. In addition to discussing
the families themselves, every attempt will be made to address the lives
of tenants and servants on these estates and to circulate the new interpretations
of these lives that are being offered around the Hudson River Valley.
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