New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Staatsburgh State Historic Site

Slavery, Segregation & Stattsburgh State Historic Site

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Depiction of Martha Church, a Black cook for a wealthy New York family, drawn by Baroness Hyde de Neuville ca 1808 Courtesy of the New York Historical SocietyIn 1810, there were nine Black people enslaved on the Staatsburgh estate in Dutchess County, NY. In 1910, the staff working inside Staatsburgh, now the Staatsburgh State Historic Site, was exclusively White and European – with only one documented Black resident in the entire hamlet. What happened?

Staatsburgh’s founder, Governor Morgan Lewis, enslaved people of African descent at Staatsburgh. Yet, when his great-granddaughter, Ruth Livingston Mills, lived at Staatsburgh at the turn of the 20th century, the staff was exclusively White and of European descent. At the same time, a free Black community was able to grow and thrive in the surrounding hamlet. [Read more…] about Slavery, Segregation & Stattsburgh State Historic Site

$100K Awarded To Museum Educators

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Pomeroy FundThe Pomeroy Fund for NYS History has awarded 20 history-related organizations across New York State $5,000 each during its fifth grant round to bring back or hire museum educators. [Read more…] about $100K Awarded To Museum Educators

Slavery & Segregation At Governor Morgan Lewis’ Staatsburgh Estate

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Depiction of a Black servant in a New York mansion, titled_The Old Sideboard_ from 1876.(1)The Staatsburgh estate’s founder, Governor Morgan Lewis, enslaved people of African descent at what is now the Staatsburgh State Historic Site. Yet, when his great-granddaughter, Ruth Livingston Mills, lived at Staatsburgh at the turn of the 20th Century, the staff was exclusively White and of European descent. At the same time, a free Black community grew and thrived in the surrounding Dutchess County hamlet. [Read more…] about Slavery & Segregation At Governor Morgan Lewis’ Staatsburgh Estate

Slavery, Segregation & Staatsburgh

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Depiction of a Black servant in a New York mansion, titled_The Old Sideboard_ from 1876.In recognition of Independence Day, Staatsburgh State Historic Site in Dutchess County, New York, will host the program “Slavery, Segregation & Staatsburgh,” exploring themes of race, freedom, and citizenship, based on recent research into Staatsburgh’s history, on July 4th. [Read more…] about Slavery, Segregation & Staatsburgh

The Real Gilded Age: America’s Elite at Staatsburgh

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The Real Gilded AgeStaatsburgh State Historic Site will host “The Real Gilded Age: America’s Elite in the Downton Abbey Era,” a tour set for Sundays, May 22nd and 29th, and Saturday, May 28th.

The Staatsburgh Site includes the elegant country home of Ogden Mills and his wife Ruth Livingston Mills overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains in Staatsburgh, Dutchess County, NY. [Read more…] about The Real Gilded Age: America’s Elite at Staatsburgh

A Horse’s World at Staatsburgh (Children’s Event)

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Staatsburgh estate horsesStaatsburgh State Historic Site will host “A Horse’s World at Staatsburgh,” an interpretive landscape walk for children focused on the site’s horse history set for Friday, April 15th and Saturday, April 16th at 1 pm. [Read more…] about A Horse’s World at Staatsburgh (Children’s Event)