Gilded Age Love Stories: Chauncey Depew's Second Chance at Love

There were many sensational love stories and romances during the Gilded Age, and there is no need to look further than the Mills family and Staatsburgh’s guests to find some of the people who were part of them. As we research all of the approximately 150 individuals who signed Staatsburgh’s guestbook between 1899 and 1908, many interesting personalities and stories have emerged.  One of them involves Hudson Valley native and US Senator Chauncey Depew who found love in both his first and second marriages.  Many of Staatsburgh’s guests were involved in politics, but it is noteworthy to mention that Depew was the only sitting US Senator to sign Staatsburgh's guestbook when he visited in September 1900. Chauncey Depew was elected as a Senator from New York in 1899 and then re-elected in 1905.

Chauncey Depew (1834-1928), circa 1901
Image: Library of Congress

Groundbreaking Women in the Guestbook: Eleonora Randolph Sears

Since receiving the amazing gift of an original Staatsburgh guestbook in 2017, the site has been researching all of the people who signed its pages. The guestbook covers the years 1899-1908 and includes approximately 150 individuals who visited Staatsburgh. There are many different people who signed the guestbook including relatives, friends, and neighbors of the Mills family as well as politicians, businessmen, sportsmen & women, and even the President’s daughter! This essay will look at one of the remarkable and barrier breaking women who signed the guestbook, Eleonora Randolph Sears (1881-1968).

Eleonora Randolph Sears, circa 1901, Bain News Service

Cover of Staatsburgh's guestbook dating from 1899-1908

A Whole Lotta Bull: Love, War & Gossip in the Gilded Age

There were many sensational love stories and romances during the Gilded Age, and there is no need to look further than Staatsburgh’s guests to find some of the individuals involved in them. As we have been researching the approximately 150 individuals who signed the guestbook, several interesting stories and personalities have emerged.  The story of Henry Worthington Bull and Maud Livingston is just one of those stories.  This story reveals the tale of a broken-hearted young woman who lost her fiancé only to later fall in love with his close friend.

Henry W. Bull (1874-1958)

Olympic Sports of Yesteryear: Polo

It has been a century since Paris hosted the Olympic Games, and undeniably the 2024 Summer Olympics will look quite different from the 1924 Olympics. The 1924 Olympics had 17 sports and 126 medal events, while the 2024 Olympics features 32 sports and 329 medal events. Only about 5% of athletes in 1924 were women, while in 2024 that number is around 50%. In 1924, 44 nations were represented, but in 2024, there are athletes from 206 nations competing in the games. A highlight of the 1924 Olympics included the performance of Johnny Weissmuller (who later became an actor known for his portrayal of Tarzan) who won three gold medals in swimming and a bronze in water polo.

     

Paris has now hosted the Olympics three times: 1900, 1924 & 2024. While many sports have been added, others have faded away. One sport which was part of the 1900 & 1924 games, but will not be part of the 2024 games, is polo. What is polo, why is it no longer part of the Olympics, and what is the sport’s connection to Staatsburgh?

Christmas 1900 at Staatsburgh: The First Christmas of a New Century

Christmas 1900

Christmas 1899 must have been an enjoyable occasion because the family spent Christmas 1900 at Staatsburgh as well.  Many wealthy families like the Millses left the city to spend the holiday in a quiet, country location.  Nearby Tuxedo Park was also a popular location for many families.

Wilbur and Orville Wright's Christmas Tree, 1900

Marking the beginning of a new century, 1900 brought a seven-month-long world's fair in Paris.  The 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle celebrated the achievements of the last century and the new developments moving the world forward in the next.  Over 50 million people from around the world visited the fair.  It was an election year in the United States and President William McKinley was re-elected.  He defeated William Jennings Bryan just as he had in 1896, but this time his running mate was none other than New York governor and rising star, Theodore Roosevelt.  The Poughkeepsie Eagle's Christmas day edition makes little mention of Christmas since the holiday had not yet become a mass marketing scheme.  For the Mills family, the holiday was a quiet family affair at their country home.

Christmas 1899 at Staatsburgh

Every year we decorate the mansion for the Christmas season.  We don't merely put up a tree and throw some garland on the railings.  We really deck the halls...Gilded Age style!  There are no fewer than six decorated trees, bows on every sconce, decorations in every room, and an amazing display in the dining room.  We are talking splendor x 100!  The mansion closes for three weeks for all of this work to be done by staff and a highly-skilled cadre of volunteers!  However, the Mills did not leave behind a blueprint or photos of their Christmas decorations.  The only thing we have is a quote from a neighbor who remembers boughs of holly.  Since 100% historical accuracy is out of reach, we decorate in the spirit of the holiday and the spirit of the splendor of the Gilded Age.

Christmas at Staatsburgh, 2016

We also do not have definitive knowledge that the Mills family spent Christmas here.  We know the family spent most of the autumn at Staatsburgh and we assume they did spend at least a few Christmases here over the years.  Thankfully, earlier this year, we received an amazing gift.  The Staatsburgh guestbook used from 1899-1908 was discovered and donated to the site.  The guestbook was signed by visitors when they arrived at Staatsburgh.  It has entries and therefore proof that the family was here for Christmas in both 1899 and 1900.  There are many guests all fall, during the week of Thanksgiving and even two weeks before Christmas, but Christmas, as we will discover, was mainly a family affair at Staatsburgh. Let us first take a look at Christmas 1899...