NEWSLETTER
Staatsburg, N.Y. (1/29/24) — Staatsburgh State Historic Site is open for winter tours on Fridays, Saturdays, and select Sundays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (last tour at 3:00 p.m.). Tours are by advance reservation only; reservations are made at www.Bookeo.com/StaatsburghSHS Admission is $10 per person; $8 for seniors and students; children ages 12 and younger are free. There is a winter scavenger hunt of the mansion that visitors ages 7-12, can enjoy while on tour, which includes a prize.
The 79-room mansion overlooking the Hudson River is in the hamlet of Staatsburg, between Hyde Park and Rhinebeck. A time capsule of the Gilded Age, Staatsburgh retains its original furnishings and opulent décor. The historic estate grounds surrounding the mansion, now Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park, offer scenic walking paths as well as woodland trails.
House tours are one hour long; 90-minute, costumed theme tours are also offered on select weekend dates; all details and reservations are found at www.Bookeo.com/StaatsburghSHS
Staatsburgh was the autumn home of Ruth Livingston Mills, a prominent figure in New York Society, and her husband, industrialist and philanthropist Ogden Mills. The mansion was redesigned by the famous architect Stanford White in 1895 and decorated in the styles of 17th and 18th century France. In this lavish setting, Ruth Livingston Mills hosted parties for the elite of Gilded Age Society. Guests included people such as her cousin John Jacob Astor, her neighbors Fredrick and Louise Vanderbilt, and her twin daughters’ close friend Alice Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt’s eldest daughter.
Visitors to Staatsburgh see a remarkable relic of a vanished era. Still decorated with the Millses’ antique furniture, Turkish carpets and artwork, the mansion vividly recalls the atmosphere of the Gilded Age. Visitors learn what it was like to be among Society’s elite, to attend one of Ruth Mills’ exclusive weekend parties, and to be looked after by an army of servants.
Staatsburgh State Historic Site and the Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills 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 Preservation. For more information, call 845-889-8851, or visit Staatsburgh’s websites at Parks.NY.gov, Facebook, and Blogger. Staatsburgh’s events are listed at 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 79.5 million visits in 2022. 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, Twitter, and the OPRHP Blog.
###
Contact: Donald Fraser | Donald.Fraser@parks.ny.gov | (845) 889-8851 ext. 338