The Hero of Two Worlds
On a late September morning, the
steamship James Kent laid anchor in the shadow of Staatsburgh House.
Stepping off the dock, 67-year-old French aristocrat Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette
made his way up the hill to the Lewis family mansion. His host for the day,
Staatsburgh’s founder Morgan Lewis, served with the French nobleman in the
American Revolution. This year, 2024, marks the 200th anniversary of
Marquis de Lafayette’s triumphant visit to the United States—and Staatsburgh.
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| The original Staatsburgh, c. 1806. P. Lodet, 1806 drawing from the Hudson River Sketchbook. Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY. |