The Clermont State Historic Site, also known as the Clermont estate, the Clermont Manor or just Clermont, is a New York State Historic Site in southwestern

Columbia County, New York Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,570. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at th ...

, United States. It protects the former estate of the

Livingston family The Livingston family of New York is a prominent family that migrated from Scotland to the Dutch Republic, and then to the Province of New York in the 17th century. Descended from the 4th Lord Livingston, its members included signers of the Unit ...

, seven generations of whom lived on the site over more than two centuries.

History

The name Clermont derives from "clear mountain" in French and was inspired by the view of the Catskill Mountains across the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

from the estate. Hudson view from Clermont Manor

The estate was established by Robert Livingston of the famous

following the death of his father, the first Lord of Livingston Manor, in 1728; while most of the manor was inherited by the eldest son

Philip Livingston Philip Livingston (January 15, 1716 – June 12, 1778) was an American merchant and statesman from New York City. He represented New York at the October 1774 First Continental Congress, where he favored imposing economic sanctions upon Great B ...

, in the southwest corner, later named Clermont, was willed to Robert. The original house was built about 1740. Robert Livingston of Clermont died on June 27, 1775, and the estate passed to his son, Robert, who was known as 'Judge Livingston' to distinguish him from his father. Judge Livingston was a member of the

New York General Assembly The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the supreme legislative body of the Province of New York during its period of proprietal coloni ...

from 1759 to 1768, served as judge of the admiralty court from 1760 to 1763 and was a delegate to the

Stamp Act Congress The Stamp Act Congress (October 7 – 25, 1765), also known as the Continental Congress of 1765, was a meeting held in New York, New York, consisting of representatives from some of the British colonies in North America. It was the first gat ...

of 1765. He married Margaret Beekman, daughter of Colonel Henry Beekman. Their son,

Robert R. Livingston Robert Robert Livingston (November 27, 1746 (Old Style November 16) – February 26, 1813) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from New York, as well as a Founding Father of the United States. He was known as "The Chancellor", afte ...

, later known as "Chancellor", was a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, known simply as the Founding Fathers or Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the war for independence from Great Britai ...

and served on the

Committee of Five '' The Committee of Five of the Second Continental Congress was a group of five members who drafted and presented to the full Congress in Pennsylvania State House what would become the United States Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776. Thi ...

that drafted the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...

. Judge Robert died about six months after his father, on December 9, 1775.

Burning and rebuilding

In October 1777, British ships sailed upriver from New York City in support of General John Burgoyne who was north of Albany. That same force had already stormed two forts in the Hudson Highlands and burned

Kingston, New York Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grouped with the New York metropolitan area around Manhattan by the United ...

. Major General John Vaughan led a raiding party to Clermont and burned Livingston's home because of the family's role in the rebellion. Margaret Beekman Livingston rebuilt the family home between 1779 and 1782.

became the estate's most prominent resident. Chancellor Livingston administered the oath of office to President George Washington, became Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and negotiated the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

."Clermont State Historic Site", NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
/ref> In 1793, Robert Livingston built a second mansion on the property—confusingly named "Clermont", it subsequently became known as both "Arryl House" and "Idele"—which burned in 1909. The ruins of that house are still visible at the south end of the property. He also partnered with

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboa ...

in 1807, to create the first commercially successful steamboat on the Hudson River, the ''

North River Steamboat The ''North River Steamboat'' or ''North River'', colloquially known as the ''Clermont'', is widely regarded as the world's first vessel to demonstrate the viability of using steam propulsion for commercial water transportation. Built in 1807, t ...

'' (later known as the ''Clermont''), which stopped at the house on its inaugural trip."A Brief History of Clermony", Friends of Clermont
The home's final Livingston owners were

John Henry Livingston John Henry Livingston (May 30, 1746January 25, 1825) was an American Dutch Reformed minister and member of the Livingston family, who served as the fourth President of Queen's College (now Rutgers University), from 1810 until his death in 182 ...

and his wife Alice. They added to the home and greatly valued the home's important historical role. Alice Livingston was responsible for creating many of the landscaped gardens that are continued to this day. Following John Henry's death, Alice turned the mansion and property over to the state in 1962 so that all the people of New York could experience it.

Present day

The house is now a New York State Historic Site and was designated a United States National Historic Landmark in 1972. and It is a contributing property to another National Historic Landmark, the

Hudson River Historic District The Hudson River Historic District, also known as Hudson River Heritage Historic District, is the largest Federally designated district on the mainland of the contiguous United States.The Nantucket Historic District includes all of the island of ...

. Although located in the town of Clermont, its mailing address is in the nearby town of

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...

References

Notes Further reading * *Moore, Lela (1921
''A Brief History of Tivoli''
(pamphlet) pp. 11–14

External links

Friends of Clermont websiteClermont State Historic Site, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
*

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

(HABS): ** ** {{Robert Livingston Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) American Revolutionary War sites Museums in Columbia County, New York Biographical museums in New York (state) New York (state) historic sites National Historic Landmarks in New York (state) Livingston family residences Houses completed in 1782 Hudson River Historic house museums in New York (state) Houses in Columbia County, New York Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state) Historic district contributing properties in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Columbia County, New York 1782 establishments in New York (state) Homes of United States Founding Fathers Gilded Age mansions

History

Burning and rebuilding

Present day

See also

References

External links