New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Staatsburgh State Historic Site

Annual Titanic Commemoration Goes Online

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Starboard view of the White Star Line passenger liner R.M.S. embarking on its ill-fated maiden voyage. April 10, 1912 Near Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UKEvery spring Staatsburgh State Historic Site, which includes a Beaux-Arts mansion designed by McKim, Mead, and White and the home’s surrounding landscape in the Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills State Park in Dutchess County, NY,  offers tours of the mansion commemorating the tragedy of the Titanic disaster.

This year, with the ongoing pandemic, the historic site has instead released some online content about the Titanic that can be accessed from home. [Read more…] about Annual Titanic Commemoration Goes Online

Art on Ice: Gilded Age Figure Skating

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Maria ReynoldsFigure skating has changed tremendously in the last 100 years: many of the dramatic jumps, spins and acrobatics of the 21st century were unheard of a century ago, and the clothing, skates, and ice surface of the Gilded Age created a very different sport than the modern one we know.

Combining two areas of expertise, Staatsburgh State Historic Site’s curator, Maria Reynolds, who is also a competitive figure skater, will explore the popularity of skating during the Gilded Age on January 18, 2020, at 1 pm. Staatsburgh’s former resident, Ruth Mills, was an avid skater, and this talk will also explore some of the moves that she performed. [Read more…] about Art on Ice: Gilded Age Figure Skating

New Curator’s Tour of Staatsburgh State Historic Site

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Staatsburgh curator tourStaatsburgh State Historic Site has announced a guided tour with Staatsburgh’s Curator Dr. Maria Reynolds has been set for Saturday, September 15th at 1 pm.

The tour, “A Closer Look: A Curator-Guided Exploration of the Hidden & Hard-to-See” will focus on some of the most interesting items in Staatsburgh’s collection. It will include stories about the paintings, furniture, and objects that are hard to see and often unnoticed while touring the house. [Read more…] about New Curator’s Tour of Staatsburgh State Historic Site

Women on a Wheel: History Talk and Bike Ride

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Women on a Wheel eventOn Sunday, August 26 at 10 am, historian Kjirsten Gustavson is set to present “Women on a Wheel” at Staatsburgh State Historic Site. The program will combine history, costumed interpretation, and a short bike ride through the hamlet of Staatsburg, which surrounds the Gilded Age mansion on the Hudson River.

In the 19th Century, the bicycle took the world by storm, and in the process, transformed women’s lives. Suddenly, they were more athletic, more mobile and… in need of bloomers. Susan B. Anthony once said of the bicycle, “I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.” [Read more…] about Women on a Wheel: History Talk and Bike Ride

Gilded Age Interactive Audience Tour in Dutchess County

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Staatsburgh State Historic Site Audience Participation castStaatsburgh State Historic Site’s “Gilded Age Experience Deluxe Audience Participation Tour,” on Sunday, June 24th (at 1 pm), lets visitors participate in activities that took place in the mansion 100 years ago.

A cast of costumed interpreters who portray guests and servants of Staatsburgh’s turn-of-the-century owners, Ruth and Ogden Mills, who resided at Staatsburgh — their country estate on the Hudson River — each autumn, hosting lavish weekend parties for America’s wealthiest and most elite society.

Visitors will be announced by the butler, and then meet Staatsburgh’s guests and servants. As they tour the house, visitors will calm the flustered chambermaid, assist the footman with the formal dining room table settings, and try out their skill as a lady’s maid or valet. [Read more…] about Gilded Age Interactive Audience Tour in Dutchess County