The Red Fox at Staatsburgh: Martin Van Buren & Morgan Lewis’s Letters

Have you ever read someone’s handwriting that’s just un-readable...looked over a note from a friend or loved one and said, “how do you expect me to read this?!”

We found ourselves in this exact situation while examining three handwritten letters in Staatsburgh’s archives. Unfortunately, we could not ask the sender what they had written, because the sender was the 8^th President of the United States, Martin van Buren (who has been dead for 162 years!). However, the researchers at the Papers of Martin Van Buren Project at Cumberland University were kind enough to stand-in for the President and transcribe his difficult handwriting for us. These three letters reveal a complicated political relationship, but a close personal friendship, between Van Buren and Staatsburgh’s founder, Morgan Lewis. 

Martin Van Buren and Morgan Lewis silhouette portraits by Auguste Edouart, c. 1841.
Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

Uncle Ogden: Ogden Livingston Mills & the Sands Children

Ogden Livingston Mills (1884-1937) was many things including a lawyer, politician, husband, and guardian. At Staatsburgh, we often mention that Ogden Livingston Mills did not have biological children in order to explain why his sister inherited the house after his death. However, we don’t usually get a chance to talk about the ways that Ogden Livingston (O.L.) Mills was a father figure to several individuals in his life. In 1914, he was named one of two guardians for two young siblings, Anne Barbara Sands and George Winthrop Sands, along with their grandmother, Anne Harriman Sands Rutherfurd Vanderbilt. The children were the orphaned niece and nephew of his wife Margaret Rutherfurd. Ten years later, O.L. also became a stepfather,[1] and the children all affectionately referred to him as “Uncle Ogden.” In order to understand this aspect of O.L.’s life, let us take a look at O.L.’s history as a guardian for the Sands children and the connection between the Mills family and the Sands family.

 

Ogden Livingston Mills, 1915

Gilded Age Christmas Gifts: The "Mystery Dollhouse" from FAO Schwarz

Long before children in the 20th century were requesting a Barbie dreamhouse for Christmas, girls in the 1890s had dreams of receiving dollhouses that were no less elaborate than what we might see today! If you visit Staatsburgh during ‘A Gilded Age Christmas’ this year, keep your eyes open for a large dollhouse. The dollhouse was first put on display in 2023 and then again this year as a representation of the type of Christmas gifts one of the Mills daughters may have received.

1890 "Mystery dollhouse," donated by Joseph and Susan Feeks in 2023

A Geologist's Jaunt through Staatsburgh

Our guest essayists for this blog, local geology luminaries Robert and Johanna Titus, are faithful supporters of Staatsburgh’s "Gilded Age Tea & Talk" series. They made several geology finds while here for a Tea this winter! Their latest book, The Hudson River Schools of Art and their Ice Age Origin, was recently published by Purple Mountain Press. For information about their upcoming lectures, geology hikes, and new publications, visit their Facebook page @TheCatskillGeologist

Guest essayists Johanna and Robert Titus.
Courtesy of the Catskill Center.

“Your Friend and Brother Soldier”: Lafayette’s 1824 Visit to Staatsburgh

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 200^th anniversary of Marquis de Lafayette’s triumphant visit to the United States—and Staatsburgh.

The original Staatsburgh, c. 1806.
P. Lodet, 1806 drawing from the Hudson River Sketchbook. 
Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY.