Author: clermontstatehistoricsite
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The Man Named After the House: Clermont Livingston, Part 2
When Clermont Livingston inherited Clermont the estate from his father in 1844, it seemed like he was set up to become a country gentleman with a cozy little family life. Instead of pursuing a public legal career, as the past four generations of Livingston men had done, Clermont snuggled into his childhood home like a warm…
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The Man Named After the House: Clermont Livingston, part 1
For a long time all I knew about Clermont Livingston was that he was named after the house and that he kept a very detailed garden journal. Clermont Livingston (pronounced like \”Clement\”) was the head of Clermont the estate from 1844 when his father died and officially through his own death in 1895–though during the last few…
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The Black Walnut Tree: Trying to Find the History of a Tree
If you\’ve been here, you\’ve seen; you just might not realize it. Clermont is home to one of the oldest black walnut trees in New York State. Depending on who you talk to you, it might be the oldest, the second oldest, or possibly the third oldest. Either way–it\’s old! It\’s been estimated that it\’s…
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Livingstons Get Inked: Clermont’s Tribute to an All-American Art Form.
Comic books and historic homes. At a glance, there aren’t a lot of correlations between the two; comics are low brow, for the masses, easily accessible and disposable. Historic homes are protected, cherished, definehighbrow and are for those who can afford the ticket price. They draw polar opposite crowds, but they aren’t as unrelated you may think!…
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Themes Like a Good Idea: Decorating for Clermont\'s Historic Halloween
Here at Clermont, we love Halloween. It\’s a good thing too, because it takes some 10 weeks to plan our vary popular Legends by Candlelight Ghost Tours. Beginning sometime in August, when almost everyone else is still beach umbrellas and summer vacations, we are already thinking orange and black. Or red and black. Or maybe…
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Something Old; Something New: When a Colonial Revival Drawing Catches You Off Guard
It\’s no secret that Clermont was renovated about half a dozen times over the course of its existence. Who can blame them Livingstons? They honored their family\’s ancestral home, but by no means felt the need to live in outdated spaces. They added wings, porches, bathrooms, and decorative elements that met new standards of grandeur.…
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Cutest Historical Document Ever? From Katherine Livingston Timpson and Her Babies
In my spare time this summer I\’ve been pouring over the delightful finds sent to me by Katherine Livingston Timpson\’s great grandson. They are amazing glimpses into a history I wasn\’t even fully aware of. And part of what makes them amazing is the way they tie into a history I am familiar with. Much like…
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Setting the Record Straight: Rediscoveries About Katherine\'s Family
It was five years ago that I first started exploring John Henry\’s oldest daughter Katherine Livingston Timpson. Katherine was born to John Henry\’s first wife in 1873. When Katherine\’s mother died, she was raised by her Hammersly aunts, rejoined John Henry when he married his second wife Emily. Eventually Katherine too married, and she moved…
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The Things He Carried: Richard Montgomery’s Equipage
On December 31, 1775 General Richard Montgomery, husband of Janet Livingston, led a desperate attack on the British held city of Quebec. Leading one of three wings of the attack Montgomery found the first barrier he and his men faced undefended. He crossed with many of his sections officers and waited while a detachment of…
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Palace of the Livingstons: A Tale About Staatsburg from Our Fellow Bloggers
This sharp little tale of neighboring Staatsburgh State Historic Site is one of the livelier retellings of this old story that we\’ve read yet. It was written by Conrad Hanson, executive director of the Friends of Clermont, a Woods Road resident, and author of the Schoolfield Country House Blog. Staatsburgh: A Palace for a Pretender…
Clermont State Historic Site 