Author: clermontstatehistoricsite
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Getting Comfortable: A Brief History of Sitting at Clermont
I will never forget it. The first and only time I have ever had the chance to sit in a magnificent, federal-era sofa. You see, in spite of being constantly surrounded by all this fabulous old furniture and material culture, we museum folk don\’t get to use it. It\’s an irony of the job. But…
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Sticky Wicket: Croquet at Clermont
My introduction to the game of croquet as a child was undoubtedly through Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. “\’Get to your places!\’ shouted the Queen in a voice of thunder, and people began running about in all directions, tumbling up against each other; however, they got settled down in a minute or two, and…
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A Fanciful Encounter
Inspired by the a young volunteer with a deep love for Jane Austen, I am taking a flight of fancy this week in writing our blog. The novels of Jane Austin are more popular today than they ever were during her lifetime. Despite being about 200 years old, they have inspired half a dozen movies…
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A Head Full of Steam: Remembering the Steamboat
This week marked the 203rd anniversary of the maiden voyage of the first practical steamboat. On August 17, 1807 Robert Fulton and Chancellor Robert R. Livingston were holding their breath as the Steamboat (the unique monstrosity needed no name to distinguish it from the other boats on the river at this point) made its first…
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Memento Mori: Remembering Cornelia
Our Junior History Club is happening here this week, and the kids are eagerly planning their end-of-week projects. Every year, they get to pick Livingston characters and portray them inside the mansion for their parents and other guests. They dress in costume and research their person\’s vital statistics. I\’ve found that kids remember for years…
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Potty Mouth: Archeological Find at Clermont
Clermont has been a busy place for the past few weeks as we were granted some special attention from our state maintenance crews. Much-needed work has been completed on pathways, utility buildings, and inside the mansion. At right you can see our Master Plasterer Scott Pulver drilling holes into the ceiling of the Sewing Room (image…
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How Shall We Set the Table?
For many modern Americans casual home dining has limited the importance of setting a fancy dinner table. But at Clermont and in an historic sites around the country, setting and re-setting the dining room table seasonally is something that we put a lot of thought into. Setting and re-setting the dining room table at Clermont…
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Never too Early: Halloween Silhouettes in July
Since one of the main focuses of my job at Clermont involves planning events, as soon as one is over, I am already looking forward to the next. It\’s only July, but I am already thinking about Halloween… Even though there was heat advisory out for yesterday, I am already thinking about cold breezes, crackling…
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"Crops of All Kinds": Clermont Livingston\'s Garden Journal
I got a request from a friend to share a little bit more about early gardens at Clermont. While not a lot of records exist about the earliest plantings, I do have Clermont Livingston\’s garden journal to help me on my way. I hope this is what you were looking for Tina! In the nineteenth…
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Cars and Clermont
The Livingstons loved their cars. Although for a long time John Henry vehemently opposed automobiles even driving onto the estate\’s grounds, in 1917 he finally relented and purchased the family\’s first car. In Honoria\’s eyes, this was late, as many wealthy families had been purchasing automobiles since the tale end of the nineteenth century, and…
Clermont State Historic Site 