DeWitt the soldier. Helen the activist. Robert the freedom-seeker. Ivy the immigrant. What did the Gilded Age mean to these, and other, Black citizens of the Staatsburg village, beyond the walls of the Mills Estate, the Beaux-Arts mansion now in Dutchess County‘s Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park.
Staatsburgh State Historic Site staff will present on online presentation, “Black Staatsburg: The Gilded Age Black Community of Staatsburg” on Thursday, March 6 at 7:00pm. This one-hour presentation will explore the what the Gilded Age meant for the Black community through census records, historic maps, and the larger context of race relations during the era.
This online program is free, but advance reservations are required and can be made online. A Zoom link will be provided upon registration.
“Black Staatsburg” is the result of several years of ongoing research from Staatsburgh State Historic Site to bring a more balanced historic narrative to public awareness. Often pushed to the outskirts of society by White Americans, Black men and women at Staatsburg fostered a strong community in the face of constant adversity.
The Historic Site now tells the story of local homeowners DeWitt Hasbrouck, a Black Civil War veteran, and Robert St. John, a Black freedom-seeker from Brazil, show the diverse backgrounds of Black families in Staatsburg. Ivy Watson, a domestic servant for a local White family, offers insights into the roles expected of Black Americans during the Gilded Age.
Staatsburgh State Historic Site is open for guided mansion tours Thursdays through Saturdays. To attend a mansion tour, advance reservations are required on www.Bookeo.com/StaatsburghSHS; admission is charged upon arrival. Visitors may also enjoy a stroll by the Hudson River, or a visit to adjacent Mills Memorial State Park.
Staatsburgh State Historic Site and the Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills Memorial State Park are located on Old Post Road in Staatsburg, off Route 9 between Rhinebeck and Hyde Park.
Photo: Saatsburgh Historic Site’s Livingston-Mills Mansion landscape (photo by Chris Rickard provided).
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