Staatsburgh State Historic Site
MID HUDSON
http://nysparks.com/historic-sites/25/details.aspx
Old Post Road
Staatsburg, NY 12580
Hours: Mid-April through Labor Day, Wed.-Sat., 10 AM-5 PM, Sunday 12-5 PM
Labor Day until late October, Wed.-Sun., 12-5 PM.
Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2 for seniors, and $1 for children 5- 12, children under 5 are free.
Notes: Reservations required for Group Tours. For special events, call ahead for details.
Phone: (845) 889-8851
Fax: (845) 889-8321
Historical Description:
Staatsburgh, (formerly Mills Mansion), is an example of the Great Estates built by America's financial and industrial leaders during the Gilded Age. The 1,600-acre estate at Staatsburg was purchased in 1792 by Morgan Lewis. Lewis was married to Gertrude Livingston of Clermont. Lewis was Quartermaster General of the northern Continental Army during the American Revolution. In 1804, he became the third governor of New York. During the War of 1812, he served as Quartermaster General of the United States Army. In 1895, the prestigious New York City architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White remodeled and enlarged the Staatsburg home. After its completion in 1896, the house was transformed into a Beaux Arts mansion of sixty-five rooms and fourteen bathrooms but maintained many of the Livingston aspects. Ogden Mills, a noted financier and philanthropist, and a director of many charitable institutions, married Ruth Livingston Mills, Morgan Lewis’ great-granddaughter. Upon Ogden Mills' death in 1929, the house passed to the couple's son, Ogden Livingston Mills. Active in Republican politics, Ogden L. Mills served as Secretary of the Treasury during the Hoover administration. After his death in 1937, the house reverted to his sister Gladys Mills Phipps. The following year Mrs. Phipps gave the mansion and 192 acres to the State of New York as a memorial to her parents.
The Site:
Staatsburgh offers biking and hiking trails that may be used for cross-country skiing in winter. A gift shop, group tours, picnic area, scenic views, and interpretive signs are offered. The gift shop and picnic areas are handicapped accessible. The park and grounds are open daily until dusk.
Directions:
Take New York State Thruway N/I-87 N exit number 9W toward Albany. Merge onto NY-299 E via exit number 18 toward Poughkeepsie. Turn right onto US-9W. Take the US-44/RT-55 ramp toward Mid- Hudson Bridge. Merge onto NY-55 E. Merge onto US-9 S toward Wappingers Falls/Hyde Park. Merge onto US-9 N via the exit- on the left- toward US 44/RT 55/Church Street/ Hyde Park. Turn left onto Old Post Road.
