Author: clermontstatehistoricsite
-
Beating the Heat in History
As some of you may know, New York is in the midst of a heat wave with Poughkeepsie temperatures topping 100 for the first time in nine years. Never fond of air conditioning myself, I thought I would look at some of ways Americans have struggled to make it through the crush of summer heat…
-
Reenactors, Story Tellers, and Dancers–Oh My!
Given Clermont\’s direct ties to the American Revolution, Independence Day is a big deal around here. On Sunday and Monday, July 4th and 5th, you can find a little something for everybody at Clermont State Historic Site’s Old-Fashioned Independence Day two-day event. On Sunday, reenactors in 18th century costume, firing demonstrations, live music, kids’ entertainment,…
-
My Favorite Room at Clermont: The Bathroom
One of my favorite rooms in any historic house is the bathroom. I can\’t help it! According to Wiki Answers, the average modern American spends about two hours in the bathroom per week. So you can see that this room has become very important to all of us. But of course, indoor bathrooms were not…
-
Philip "The Signer" Livingston
In honor of the approach of Indpendence Day, I think it is time we paid a little tribute to the Livingston who signed the Declaration of Independence. A large portait of Philip Livingston hangs in a place of honor in Clermont\’s drawing room. He is a fashionably-dressed–if not flashy–man with only hansome white ruffles at…
-
Old Wives\' Tales: Mary Stevens Livingston
Fourth of July always brings about some research for me as I investigate charactors that will be brought to life for special tours. Margaret Beekman Livingston is a \”must.\” Her leadership of the family through the difficult times of the American Revolution and the exceptional efforts of our impersonator mean that there is no doubt…
-
Playtime in the Parlour: Blind Man\'s Bluff, Tableaux, and Other Games
It\’s all well and good to tell children that there was no television \”back in the day.\” It has become a standard explanation for the differences in life then and now when we talk to kids. But this \”description\” is sorely lacking in explanation. What filled the gaps in time when kids today spend 2-5…
-
Katherine: John Henry\'s Other Daughter
Alice and John Henry Livingston had two daughters, Janet and Honoria. But John Henry was married twice before he and Alice tied the knot in 1906. His first daughter Katherine L. was born in 1873, and she had moved to England by the time Alice and John Henry were married. Thus, she does not get…
-
The Recollections of John Henry Livingston
I probably haven\’t devoted enough time on this blog to John Henry Livingston (1848-1927). Alice Livingston\’s husband (I talk about her all the time), he had grown up at Clermont during the mid nineteenth century and lived here intermitently until his death. He had a law career and almost a political career. He outlived two…
-
Montgomery Livingston, the Forgotten Painter
Given Clermont\’s proximity to the Hudson River School havens at Olana and Cedar Grove, it is no wonder that many visitors who enter the library at Clermont point eagerly to the big paintings at each end of the room and ask \”are those Hudson River School?\” The large works\’ peaceful, pastoral settings and and reverent…
-
All That Glitters
There are some books that I find myself returning to all the time for quick research, and this one \”At Home: The American Family 1750-1870\” is one of those. A well-researched, topical survey of domestic life for some 120 years, it is still light enough to make for good lunchtime reading. That\’s exactly what I…
Clermont State Historic Site 