Staatsburgh State Historic Site

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Staatsburgh State Historic Site

Staatsburgh State Historic Site was the elegant country home of Ruth & Ogden Mills. View our Blog!! http://eepurl.com/bbDoB1

Reservations are required: www.bookeo.com/StaatsburghSHS
Visit our bookeo page to find available tour times. www.staatsburghstatehistoricsite.blogspot.com

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09/01/2026

Oh no! Is that a tinge of color we see on the leaves? It can’t be nearly autumn already… Happy September 1st! 🍂 🍁

08/31/2026

Faces of the Revolution at Staatsburgh 📜🦅

The iteration of Staatsburgh that exists today was fashioned during the Gilded Age, but the estate’s origins have roots in the Revolutionary War era. As the nation celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this series of posts will share some of the Revolutionary War iconography that adorns the mansion.

The walls of the master bathroom situated between the bedrooms of Ruth & Ogden Mills are filled will prints of Revolutionary War figures. One of the men depicted is General Lewis Morris (1726-1798) who was a New York landowner, militia officer and founding father who rose to the rank of Major General during the Revolutionary War. In 1775, Morris was appointed as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and served on committees responsible for supplying arms and ammunition to the Continental Army.

Morris was an active supporter of independence, but his older brother, Staats Morris, was a Loyalist who warned Lewis against signing the Declaration of Independence. Morris reportedly exclaimed, "Damn the consequences. Give me the pen." Morris signed the Declaration of Independence and, in fact, his house was ransacked and his land burned by the British. After the war, he continued to serve in public office as a New York state judge and legislator. He supported the ratification of the U.S. Constitution at the Poughkeepsie Convention in 1788.

Though many generations removed, Lewis Morris was the great (x4)-grandfather of Margaret Rutherfurd who married Ogden Livingston Mills in 1911.

08/29/2026

Team Hydrangea did an excellent job completing the Staatsburgh Scavenger Hunt this month! The Scavenger Hunt is a great way to explore Staarburgh's grounds while completing a fun activity! Everyone who completed the hunt and submits their photos receives a Stewart's ice cream cone coupon, courtesy of Stewart's Shops (while supplies last).

Find the Scavenger Hunt here: https://millsfriends.org/virtual/lets-go-outside/

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day! 🐕

Here at Staatsburgh, dogs ruled both inside and outside of the house! Mrs. Mills and her daughters always had small lap dogs, which were usually Pomeranians. Hunting and farm dogs had their domain on the grounds. This photos depicts the Millses' dog Laddy along with the estate superintendent James Blair's dog Sandy. These collies are frolicking in the snow outside of the carriage barn. The tradition of dogs at Staatsburgh continues today (at least outside) and many folks use the grounds to walk dogs!

08/23/2026

Happy Birthday Ogden Livingston Mills! The youngest child of Ruth & Ogden Mills was born in 1884 in Newport, Rhode Island just fourteen months after his twin sisters, Beatrice & Gladys. O.L., as he was known, is often remembered for his stint as Secretary of the Treasury, which was the pinnacle of his political career.

President Herbert Hoover appointed Mills to be the Secretary of the Treasury in February 1932 to replace Andrew Mellon. Mills had been the Undersecretary of the Treasury since 1927 when he was first appointed by President Calvin Coolidge. His tenure was short as Secretary of the Treasury because Hoover lost the 1932 presidential election to Franklin D. Roosevelt who appointed a new cabinet. Mills left his position in March 1933 since his politics were vastly different from those of his Hyde Park neighbor. Mills was highly critical of Roosevelt's New Deal policies, which was clear in his 1935 book entitled "What of Tomorrow."

Images: Mills & Hoover working together circa 1932 & Mills on the cover of Forbes Magazine

08/22/2026

Clara Barton (1821-1912) was an American teacher and self-taught nurse who founded the first American Red Cross chapter n Dansville, NY in 1881. Born in Massachusetts, Clara, the daughter of Steven Barton, a captain in the local militia, was keenly familiar with military strategies, techniques and the horrors and human suffering that came with war. When the Civil War began in 1861, Clara was given permission to cross the battlelines to provide nursing care to sick and wounded soldiers.

Affectionately known as The Angel of the Battlefield , Clara provided medical assistance, food, and clothing to soldiers as well as emotional support by reading to them and writing letters to their families on their behalf. Such compassion was crucial in lifting the soldiers’ spirits and helping them cope with the traumas they experienced on the battlefield.

Clara earned widespread recognition by delivering lectures around the country about her war experiences which heightened the awareness of the sufferings of war. In 1869, she visited the International Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland, which was a humanitarian aid association. Inspired by this visit, Clara began campaigning for the United States to join the Geneva Convention, which established rules for the treatment of sick and wounded in wartime and for quick responses to national disasters such as floods, famine, and epidemics.

In 1881 Clara successfully organized the American Association of the Red Cross and she established the first local chapter on August 22, 1881 in her home of Dansville, NY. Fifty-seven charter members signed the organization's founding document, and today the Dansville chapter has been preserved as a landmark and historic museum. Clara led the organization for 23 years overseeing disaster relief efforts, creating a system for volunteer recruitment, supply distribution, and emergency response. Clara devoted her entire life to the American Red Cross and even though she retired as President in 1904 at the age of 83, she remained involved in continuous humanitarian efforts for the rest of her life!

Photo: Clara Barton, Photographed by Mathew Brady, 1866

08/17/2026

Faces of the Revolution at Staatsburgh 📜🦅

The iteration of Staatsburgh that exists today was fashioned during the Gilded Age, but the estate’s origins have roots in the Revolutionary War era. As the nation celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this series of posts will share some of the Revolutionary War iconography that adorns the mansion.

The walls of the master bathroom situated between the bedrooms of Ruth & Ogden Mills are filled will prints of Revolutionary War figures. One of the men depicted is General Joseph Reed (1741-1785) who was a Pennsylvania born lawyer, military officer and politician who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

As George Washington’s aide-de-camp he was responsible for military administration and logistics. Reed played a key role in planning the crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton. In 1778 as a delegate to the Continental Congress, Reed signed the Articles of Confederation. As President of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Executive Council, Reed oversaw the court-martialing of wartime traitor Benedict Arnold.

In 1770, Reed married an Englishwoman, Esther de Berdt, who also supported the American revolutionary cause. The couple had six children and in 1780 they named their son after George Washington.

08/12/2026

Happy Birthday Ruth Livingston Mills (and Elizabeth Livingston Cavendish-Bentinck)! 🎉

Ruth Mills was born into the influential Livingston family in 1855 in Newport, Rhode Island. She shared this birthday with her twin sister Elizabeth!

In 1880, Elizabeth married George Cavendish-Bentinck, a member of Parliament and the great-grandson of the 3rd Duke of Portland. She moved to England while Ruth remained in the states. Even though they resided in different countries, the "Livingston twins" remained close and both visited each other frequently.

In 1882, Ruth married Ogden Mills and soon after inherited her childhood country home, Staatsburgh. Ruth Mills applied herself energetically to the social scene and entertained frequently at her houses in Newport, New York City, Paris, and Staatsburgh. The Mills family resided in their Staatsburgh home primarily in the fall as a setting for numerous house parties and dinners hosted by Mrs. Mills. One frequent guest was Elizabeth Cavendish-Bentinck who had a room in the family quarters on the south wing of the second floor!

08/09/2026

Faces of the Revolution at Staatsburgh 📜🦅

The iteration of Staatsburgh that exists today was fashioned during the Gilded Age, but the estate’s origins have roots in the Revolutionary War era. As the nation celebrates the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this series of posts will share some of the Revolutionary War iconography that adorns the mansion.

The walls of the master bathroom situated between the bedrooms of Ruth & Ogden Mills are filled will prints of Revolutionary War figures. One of the men depicted is Major Horatio Gates (1727-1806) who was a British born army officer who served in the British Army during the French and Indian War and the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. When Gates moved to North America, he bought a plantation in Virginia and was acquainted with George Washington. In 1775 Gates offered his services to the Continental Army and was considered an asset because of his previous military experience. He became the first Adjutant General of the United States Army.

In 1777 Gates led the Continental Army to victory at the Battle of Saratoga which many considered to be the turning point of the war. The American victory helped to convince France to formally support the American cause by providing money, troops, armament, and naval support. Gates was awarded a gold medal by Congress for his victories, but his legacy was tarnished and he fell from grace after a humiliating defeat by the British in 1880 at The Battle of Camden. Gates’ army collapsed and he retreated and fled, which caused permanent damage to his credibility and status. Gates returned to his Virginia plantation until he decided to manumit the individuals he had enslaved and move to New York where he served in the legislature and died in 1806.

Address

75 Mills Mansion Drive Rd 1
Staatsburg, NY
12580

Telephone

(845) 889-8851

Website

https://www.parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/25/details.aspx

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