Category: Uncategorized
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Olivek Christensen Myers
Olivek (or Olivia) Christensen was one of Honoria and Janet\’s two nurses during their childhood, and of the two she was at Clermont the longest. Her close interaction with the children and Alice has made her story the best known of any of Clermont\’s servants. Before coming to Clermont, we know that she emigrated from…
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Dog Blog
Dogs, were a part of life at Clermont probably beginning as soon as the Livingstons settled in with their furniture. Animals were most certainly present from day one, and the term \”pet\” was already coming into use to denote a preferred or \”favorite,\” an animal or person to whom one devoted extra attention and love.…
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Do You Know How to Set a Table Correctly?
\”Do you know how to set a table correctly? Are you familiar with the right linen and silver to use for every occassion?\” These are the rather dictatorial questions printed on the cover of Table Service and Decoration, a 1935 entertaining manual I found in Alice\’s library. My 21st century brain reacted first with derision…
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Bringing Back the Ghosts
I was thrilled (and a little nervous) to be asked to further expand Clermont\’s Legends by Candlelight tours in 2009. We began this program in 2007 with two nights of ghostly tours through the mansion–well, it was supposed to be two nights, but that darned October rain cut us down to one. Every tour was…
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Suprise Quadricentennial Visit at Clermont
Since 2007, Clermont has been celebrating the Hudson, Fulton, Champlain Quadricentennial. A major loan exhibit at Clermont in 2007 brought together artifacts from all across the country and resulted in the publication of a book on the subject by the Friends of Clermont. We also celebrated with fireworks, symposia, a grand ball, and visits from…
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A Gardening Retreat
When Alice Delafield Clarkson Livingston left her family estate of Clermont to New York State in 1962, she had not lived in the mansion for 20 years. Instead, in 1942 she had moved herself to a tiny cottage once used to house the gardener. By then she was a widow, her children grown and pursuing…
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An Old-Fashioned Independence Day
Independence Day seemed to slide by in an easy-going blur this year. Usually big festivals at Clermont keep me in a constant state of busy-ness with just a few moments to watch one or two performers and say hello to my many volunteers. Instead, our Old-Fashioned Independence Day 2009 felt like a perfect \”Saturday in…
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The Burning of Clermont 1777
With Independence Day tomorrow, we are preparing our annual special tour. Petticoats, stockings, and funny-looking shoes are being brought down from the attic, and three people are running through their lines with their coworkers to ensure that Margaret Beekman Livingston, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, and Catherina Minkler will be well-represented on July Fourth. The tour…
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North River Steam Cat
This spring, curator Ashley Hopkins-Benton created a feline version of Clermont\’s own North River Steam Boat for the Cat\’n Around Catskill celebration. This is the third summer in which Catskill\’s main streets have been filled with colorful fiberglass cats, and this year, the cats are inspired by the quadricentennial. The Greene County Local Courier featured…
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Collections aren\'t always as they seem…
As I mentioned in my previous post about paint analysis here at Clermont (“Painted Ladies”, March 27 2009), it is important, when we look at a historic house and its furnishings, to remember that things are not always exactly as they seem. Often, our collections hold secrets, and it is only with a well trained…
Clermont State Historic Site 