An Aerial View of the Mansion

It is not very often that we are able to see the mansion from above, which is why it was exciting that we recently took some unique aerial photos.  During recent work on the mansion’s façade, we found someone on staff with no fear of heights to go up on the lift and take aerial shots of the building, with the Hudson in the background.  This view really allows you to see the work that was done on the mansion since 2013.  The white front portico glistens and the copper on the new roof shines.  You can see the new portico whenever you approach the mansion, but the new roof is a little harder to showcase!

Enjoy this series of photos!

Announcing Mr. & Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps...

Ruth Livingston Mills held countless functions at Staatsburgh during her lifetime, but one of the grandest affairs to happen at Staatsburgh was the wedding between the Millses' daughter Gladys and Henry Carnegie Phipps on December 7, 1907.  It was very important for young women to find a suitable match and Ruth Mills would have devoted considerable time to securing the best match possible for her daughters.  The engagement  between Gladys and Henry was rumored in October 1907 after they spent time together in Long Island and it was announced in the New York Times in November.  Family and friends tried to persuade the couple to have the wedding in New York, but both preferred the quiet pastoral setting at her family's Staatsburgh estate.

The Portico Project: Part II - Stanford White's Influences

This post is the second in a series about Staatsburgh's portico, which was restored to its original glory in 2014.  In December 2014 we first posted a blog that explored the history of portico design and the stylistic architectural developments of McKim, Mead & White.  This post will explore some of the potential portico models that likely influenced Stanford White when he was designing Staatsburgh's remodel in 1895.  Unfortunately, no records from the commission or actual construction process survive, but White's work from the same era can give us some insight about Staatsburgh's design.

Portico Inspirations: The English Country Home

By the 1890s, the firm of McKim, Mead & White was transitioning stylistically towards plans that were classical in scope. Since a portico was a prominent feature of neo-classical architecture, it is not uncommon that Stanford White would design one for the Millses. He did, however, have familiarity with several examples of porticos in architecture that could have potentially influenced his design.

Behind the Scenes at Staatsburgh: Saving Historic Mattresses

Last fall we posted a blog about historic mattresses and another blog about the hair picker used to fluff the horsehair used in mattresses.  We now follow up with this blog about the historic mattresses in Staatsburgh's collections.  Thank you to our summer intern, Bethany Zulick from Bard College, for researching and writing about mattresses!

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Back in the 1980’s the staff at Staatsburgh encountered a problem with the collection: mattresses. With over forty bedrooms, the historic mansion was left with quite a few historic specimens in storage. But they posed quite a fire hazard, being that they were stuffed with flammable materials like horsehair. Also, the stuffing of the mattresses drew carpet beetles and other pests like nobody’s business, making them unsanitary and creating a poor environment for storing historic collections...

What could be done? After all, these mattresses were historic artifacts and couldn’t be simply tossed out. When Gladys Mills-Phipps donated Staatsburgh to the State of New York in 1938 she included the contents of the home, allowing visitors to appreciate the mansion as it would have been when her family occupied it. So, although unhygienic and hazardous, the mattresses were still precious in some respect. The solution to this conundrum was to take a sample from each mattress to preserve while discarding the remainder. Our own Marilyn Holst, who has worked dutifully at Staatsburgh for nearly thirty years, was a part of this operation. In fact, it was her very first day on the job.

A Gilded Age Afternoon Tea

Since Staatsburgh has recently launched a Gilded Age Tea & Talk series, we have been looking more into the custom of having tea.  The winter pilot run of the Tea & Talk series has proven to be a successful addition to our site's programming and each tea has a waiting list.  Drinking tea is the perfect time to think about proper etiquette and each talk in the series looks at some of aspect of etiquette during the Gilded Age.  In case you have reserved a space on one of Staatsburgh's teas or just plan to have a tea party, here are some tips that will help you survive an afternoon tea without making an embarrassing faux pas.