NEWSLETTER
Staatsburg, N.Y. (8/12/24) — A celebrity murder, heiresses for sale, and scandals that reached as high as the King of England and the President of the United States. All these – and more scandals at the turn of the 20th-century – are the focus of Staatsburgh State Historic Site’s popular “Gilded Age Scandals” theme-tour returning this September.
This 90-minute themed mansion tour, led by a costumed guide, shines a spotlight on the scandalous behavior and intrigues of the very rich at the turn of the 20th century. The tour will be offered on Sundays, September 1, 8 & 15 at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are required: https://Bookeo.com/StaatsburghSHS The charge for the tour is $12; $10 for seniors. Due to the somewhat risqué subject matter of this tour, it is not recommended for younger visitors.
Staatsburgh’s owners, Ruth and Ogden Mills, were models of respectability, but the transgressions of some of their peers shocked and titillated Edwardian Society. Visitors on tour will hear stories of sex, mayhem and money that were not only whispered in the drawing rooms but published in the newspapers of the day. Tales of misbehavior feature a monkey in the formal dining room, arsenic in the clam chowder, and the tale of the famous Society figure who told his distraught bride on their wedding night, “Your money is your only asset in my eyes.”
Visitors may also enjoy a picnic or stroll by the Hudson River or a hike along the woodland trails in adjacent Mills and Norrie State Parks. All of Staatsburgh’s programs can be found on the site’s reservations page: https://www.Bookeo.com/StaatsburghSHS
Staatsburgh State Historic Site and the Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park are located on Old Post Road in Staatsburg, off Route 9 between Rhinebeck and Hyde Park. The historic site is one of 6 sites and 15 parks administered by the Taconic Region of New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic
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Preservation. For more information, call 845-889-8851, or visit Staatsburgh’s websites at https://parks.ny.gov, www.facebook.com/StaatsburghSHS, and www.staatsburghstatehistoricsite.blogspot.com. Staatsburgh’s events are listed at https://parks.ny.gov/events.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which saw a record 84 million visits in 2023. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit parks.ny.gov, download the free NY State Parks Explorer app or call 518.474.0456. Join us in celebrating our Centennial throughout 2024, and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and the OPRHP Blog.
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Contact: Donal Fraser | (845) 889-8851 x 338 | Donald.Fraser@parks.ny.gov