Mills Mansion
Join us as we head upstate to Mills Manor at Staatsburgh State Historic Site on Tuesday, October 3rd!
Majestically situated on the banks of the Hudson River, Mills House is a 25-room Greek Revival home built in 1832 by Morgan Lewis and his wife Gertrude Livingsgton that was eventually inherited by Ruth Livingston Mills, wife of noted financier and philanthropist Ogden Mills.
After completion of a remodel in 1896, the house had been transformed into a Beaux-Arts mansion of 65 rooms and 14 bathrooms. Its exterior was embellished with balustrades, pilasters, floral swags, and a massive portico. The rooms were furnished with elaborately carved and gilded furniture, fine oriental rugs, silk fabrics, and a collection of art objects from Europe, ancient Greece, and the Far East.
In 1938, the house and 192 acres were given to the State of New York by Gladys Mills Phipps, daughter of Ruth and Ogden Mills, and wife to Henry Carnegie Phipps, son of Henry Phipps and brother to Jay Phipps, owner of what is now Old Westbury Gardens. The majority of the home’s contents were left in place and donated to the State in 1970, shortly before Mrs. Phipps’ death.
Mills Mansion is emblematic of the great country estates built in the 19th and early 20th centuries to house America’s wealthiest families. It is an elegant example of the beautiful homes built by America’s financial and industrial leaders during the Gilded Age.
The REAL Gilded Age Tour
To understand more about the home’s history and connection with the Gilded Age, the trip also includes a 90-minute tour that highlights the real-life characters and themes at Staatsburgh that parallel Downton Abbey and HBO’s The Gilded Age.
Led by a costumed interpreter, "The REAL Gilded Age" tour shows how servants and the Mills family conducted a busy weekend of high society entertaining, comparing Staatsburgh to what viewers saw on TV. This tour will include visiting additional parts of the mansion not on standard tours, including the unrestored servants’ hall.
Images above courtesy of Friends of Mills at Staatsburgh (millsfriends.org) and Staatsburgh State Historic Site.
Paul Hunchak
Paul Hunchak, Director of Visitor Services and Public Programs, will be your host and guide on this trip. Paul's passion for history and background in interpretation provides the enthusiasm which he brings to the Gardens’ formal and informal education programs. He has lectured on the history of the Phipps estate as well as the designer of Westbury House, George Crawley. Paul oversees the planning, design, and installation of temporary exhibitions at Old Westbury Gardens.
INFO & TICKETS:
Coach bus from Old Westbury Gardens
DATE: Tuesday, October 3, 2023
PRICE: $125 pp (Includes one (1) roundtrip coach bus fare to Mills Manor, one (1) ticket for “The Real Gilded Age” tour, buffet lunch at The Tavern at Beekman Arms (see below), and snacks for the trip.)
TIME: Coach bus (Academy Bus) departs Old Westbury Gardens at 8:00 am and returns at approximately 7:00 pm. (Free WIFI + 110V Outlet available)
LUNCH: Dining | Beekman Arms & Delamater Inn Rhinebeck New York (beekmandelamaterinn.com)
