A Gilded Age ChristmasDecember 26 – 31, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Staatsburg, N.Y. (12/9/19) — A Gilded Age Christmas, Staatsburgh State Historic Site’s month-long program of lavish decorations and children’s programs, will offer additional open hours during the last week of December.  Starting Thursday, December 26, Staatsburgh will be open from 11a.m. to 3p.m. every day through December 31.   Before December 26, Staatsburgh will be open on its regular December schedule, Thursday through Sunday, 11a.m. to 3p.m.  The site will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 

Staatsburgh’s holiday decorations are done in turn-of-the-century style, recreating the atmosphere of holidays long-ago in one of the great estates of the Hudson Valley.  Staatsburgh was the Gilded Age country home of Ruth Livingston Mills, a prominent figure in New York Society, and her husband, financer and philanthropist Ogden Mills.  Their mansion, overlooking the Hudson River in the hamlet of Staatsburg, was redesigned and expanded to 79 rooms in 1895 by the famous architect Stanford White.

In addition to house tours, the last week of December will feature a children’s “Make a Mouse House” craft workshop.  The workshop was inspired by Staatsburgh’s annual Christmas tradition of displaying miniature mouse-size houses decorated for the holidays in hidden corners of the mansion.  Children attending the workshop can search the historic rooms for mouse houses and then build and decorate their own mouse house. The workshop will be offered for children ages 6 – 10 on December 27, 28, and 31 from 10:30a.m. to noon.  Children must be accompanied by an adult.  The workshop is $8 per child or $15 per family (up to 3 children). Reservations are required and can be made by calling Staatsburgh at (845) 889-8851.

The last week of December will also feature Staatsburgh’s “history mystery” for children, the Holiday Whodunit, on December 29.  Held each Sunday in December between the hours of 1p.m. and 3p.m., the Holiday Whodunit invites children ages 6 to 11 to become detectives.  They will interview costumed interpreters, who portray Gilded Age houseguests and servants, to solve the mystery.  One of Staatsburgh’s most popular programs, the Holiday Whodunit has become an annual tradition for many families, who come each December to crack another Gilded Age case. Children may arrive any time between 1p.m. and 2:30; it typically takes children about 45 minutes to complete their investigation.    Children must be accompanied by an adult. Children submitting their solution as to “whodunit,” will be entered in a drawing for gift certificates to Oblong Books and Music.

Staatsburgh’s museum shop will be open during all open hours and offering a post-Christmas sale.  Often cited as among the best museum gift shops in the Hudson Valley, the shop features a unique array of jewelry, books, scarves, keepsakes and gifts.

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 Preservation. For more information, call 845-889-8851, or visit Staatsburgh’s websites at https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/25/details.aspx, www.facebook.com/StaatsburghSHS and www.staatsburghstatehistoricsite.blogspot.com.  Staatsburgh’s events are listed at https://parks.ny.gov/events/event-results.aspx?hs=25

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 are visited by 74 million people annually. A recent study found that New York State Parks generates $5 billion in park and visitor spending, which supports nearly 54,000 jobs. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit http://www.parks.ny.gov/, connect with us on Facebook, or follow on Instagram and Twitter.

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Contact: Donald Fraser | Donald.Fraser@parks.ny.gov | (845) 889-8851 ext. 338