Category: Uncategorized
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Two Livingston Ladies: A Tale of Two Shoppers
As a consumate shopper myself (and fashion historian), I can\’t help but be fascinated by the Livingston\’s shopping habits–especially clothes. There isn\’t much in the way of eighteenth century clothing left in Clermont\’s collections so for the most past, I am left eagerly pawing through the documentary references I can find. So when, in the…
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Raising the Spirits: Clermont at Halloween
Clermont State Historic Site seems to have been designed for Halloween. Coming down its bushy paths in the fall, the house looms ahead, its tall, slate roofs poking their way through the Hudson River fog. After dark, the isolated setting and twisting paths combine to create an eerie beauty that suggests the ambience of a…
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Good Night Irene: A Hurricane Hits Clermont
In all likelyhood, you haven\’t missed the news for the past few weeks. You probably know that eastern New York got hit pretty hard by Tropical Storm Irene. Trees down, power out, and devastating flooding that destroyed whole towns all around us. Even historic Guy Park Manor along the Mohawk River was not spared by…
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Calamities of War: Part 6
A review of secondary source material relating to the burning of Clermont With the end of the Civil War in 1865, and the approach of the Centennial in 1876, America began a renewed sense of nationalism and pride. As the material goods craze of the Victorian Era and Industrial Revolution began to wind down, a…
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Calamities of War: Part 5
1777: A Missed Opportunity A further blow to British arms came in the form of orders General Clinton received from General Howe to abandon the captured highland forts and send many of the troops who participated in their taking to Philadelphia. Whatever gains could have been salvaged from the campaigns of 1777 were lost by…
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Calamities of War: Part 4
Clermont Attacked: The Primary Sources Unfortunately, this is the last known letter Gouverneur Morris sends to Robert R. Livingston until December of 1777. We do not have Morris’ eyewitness account of Kingston’s destruction or writings on Vaughn’s troops. Another primary source to consult is the journal of William Smith. Smith was a devout Loyalist, but…
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Losing an Old Friend: Trees at Clermont
The spring and summer of 2011 has been a tough one at Clermont for trees. We\’ve lost several large, historic ones to storms. We have felt a sense of loss with each one and wondered about this affects our historic landscape. Sadly, our biggest loss came last week when two very large limbs were blown…
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Just a Facade: Changes to the Face of Clermont
At Clermont, we welcome our guests at the back door. This isn\’t just because we like to be friendly. This is because our back door is the first one you come to, and we don\’t want you to have to go wandering all about the place just to get a tour. With that big porch…
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Calamities of War: Part 3
The Clermont Livingstons as RevolutionariesThe Clermont branch of the Livingston family began an active participation in the Revolutionary War almost from the beginning. Robert the Judge was a member of the Stamp Act Congress, and is said to have been the man who penned the letter of protest to King George. Robert the Judge also…
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Is This Soda?
This week I started a project to scan some of the many slides we\’ve taken over the years. Along the way, I have encountered quite a few pictures I\’ve never seen before, but none that piqued my curiosity so much as this one… The Livingstons, particularly the last two generations, loved pets and always had…
Clermont State Historic Site 