Take a look inside Staatsburgh, a 30,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion whose owners held tickets for the Titanic

Talia LakritzMay 30, 2024, 19:48 IST

Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Staatsburgh was the home of financier Ogden Mills and his wife, socialite Ruth Livingston Mills.
The Gilded Age mansion, completed in Dutchess County, New York, in 1896, features 79 rooms.

When New York City socialite Ruth Livingston Mills inherited her family's country estate known as Staatsburgh in 1890, she felt it wasn't grand enough to entertain her sophisticated friends.

With the help of her husband, financier Ogden Mills, she oversaw a massive renovation that transformed the home into a Gilded Age mansion modeled after the royal palaces of Europe.

Located in Staatsburg, New York, about 100 miles from New York City, Staatsburgh is now a museum that continues to preserve the home's extravagant furnishings and rich history. Take a look inside.

Staatsburgh, once the fall home of Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills, offers guided tours of the historic estate.

Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

I entered through the gift shop, which was full of apparel, accessories, and books about the Hudson Valley.

The gift shop at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The tour began in an exhibition space on the first floor, where our tour guide gave us a brief history of the Mills family.

The room where Staatsburgh tours begin.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The room also featured a section about the Titanic, which the couple had tickets for.

A Titanic display at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

We then walked outside, where our guide shared that the grass surrounding the opulent home used to be farmland.

A view of the Hudson River on the grounds of Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Our guide also pointed out ongoing preservation efforts on the home's exterior.

Restoration efforts at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Staatsburgh's two wings were added in 1895, expanding the home from 25 rooms to 79.

Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

When I walked into the entrance hall, the well-preserved decor transported me back to the Gilded Age.

The entrance hall at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Ruth hung portraits of her prominent ancestors in the entryway to impress her guests.

Portraits of Ruth Livingston Mills' ancestors at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The grand staircase was reminiscent of the one on the Titanic.

The grand staircase at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

A side table featured an issue of The Boston Daily Globe with a headline about the Titanic sinking, emphasizing the family's connection to the tragedy.

A newspaper with a headline about the Titanic sinking at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Ascending the stairs provided a wider view of the entrance hall.

The entrance hall at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The painted ceiling on the stairwell concealed a 10,000-gallon water tank above.

A painted ceiling at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider.

Female visitors stayed in guest bedrooms upstairs, while male visitors slept downstairs.

A guest room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

A replica of a maid's room was built on the second floor by lowering the ceiling and narrowing the walls to display the smaller space.

A servant's room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The male servants' quarters on the ground level included a dining room, lounge, and kitchen suite.

The servants' quarters at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Before dinner, guests would line up in the oval room to be escorted into the dining room.

The oval room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Our tour group gasped in awe upon walking into the stunning dining room, exactly as Ruth Mills intended.

The dining room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The table was set with the Mills family's original Tiffany & Co. china.

Tiffany & Co. table settings in the dining room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The gilded ceilings were embellished with ornate gold designs.

Gold ceiling decorations in the dining room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The base of the fireplace was decorated with Chinese guardian lion statues known as foo dogs.

Decorative lion statues in the dining room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Servants took food to the dining room via a dumbwaiter in the butler's pantry.

The butler's pantry at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The butler's pantry included a display of Titanic china set replicas.

Replicas of Titanic china at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

We then moved into the drawing room, named for where the family and guests would withdraw after dinner.

The drawing room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Our guide pointed out how the backs of the chairs were not as faded as the seats because of the upright posture women maintained.

A chair in the drawing room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

She also pointed out the oldest artifact in the room: a set of three ancient Greek urns.

Urns in the drawing room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The Mills family would play games of bridge in their ornate library.

The library at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Ruth also had a French-style boudoir, a private space to write correspondence and plan parties.

The boudoir at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Ruth's bedroom was modeled after royal palaces in Europe, with her bed up on a pedestal and the walls upholstered with damask silk.

Ruth Livingston Mills' room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

The tour ended with Ogden's room, which was noticeably smaller and less ostentatious than Ruth's.

Ogden Mills' room at Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

Even though Staatsburgh was just a two-hour drive from New York City, I felt like I'd visited a European palace.

Staatsburgh.Talia Lakritz/Business Insider

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Take a look inside Staatsburgh, a 30,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion whose owners held tickets for the Titanic

Staatsburgh, once the fall home of Ogden Mills and Ruth Livingston Mills, offers guided tours of the historic estate.

I entered through the gift shop, which was full of apparel, accessories, and books about the Hudson Valley.

The tour began in an exhibition space on the first floor, where our tour guide gave us a brief history of the Mills family.

The room also featured a section about the Titanic, which the couple had tickets for.

We then walked outside, where our guide shared that the grass surrounding the opulent home used to be farmland.

Our guide also pointed out ongoing preservation efforts on the home's exterior.

Staatsburgh's two wings were added in 1895, expanding the home from 25 rooms to 79.

When I walked into the entrance hall, the well-preserved decor transported me back to the Gilded Age.

Ruth hung portraits of her prominent ancestors in the entryway to impress her guests.

The grand staircase was reminiscent of the one on the Titanic.

A side table featured an issue of The Boston Daily Globe with a headline about the Titanic sinking, emphasizing the family's connection to the tragedy.

Ascending the stairs provided a wider view of the entrance hall.

The painted ceiling on the stairwell concealed a 10,000-gallon water tank above.

Female visitors stayed in guest bedrooms upstairs, while male visitors slept downstairs.

A replica of a maid's room was built on the second floor by lowering the ceiling and narrowing the walls to display the smaller space.

The male servants' quarters on the ground level included a dining room, lounge, and kitchen suite.

Before dinner, guests would line up in the oval room to be escorted into the dining room.

Our tour group gasped in awe upon walking into the stunning dining room, exactly as Ruth Mills intended.

The table was set with the Mills family's original Tiffany & Co. china.

The gilded ceilings were embellished with ornate gold designs.

The base of the fireplace was decorated with Chinese guardian lion statues known as foo dogs.

Servants took food to the dining room via a dumbwaiter in the butler's pantry.

The butler's pantry included a display of Titanic china set replicas.

We then moved into the drawing room, named for where the family and guests would withdraw after dinner.

Our guide pointed out how the backs of the chairs were not as faded as the seats because of the upright posture women maintained.

She also pointed out the oldest artifact in the room: a set of three ancient Greek urns.

The Mills family would play games of bridge in their ornate library.

Ruth also had a French-style boudoir, a private space to write correspondence and plan parties.

Ruth's bedroom was modeled after royal palaces in Europe, with her bed up on a pedestal and the walls upholstered with damask silk.

The tour ended with Ogden's room, which was noticeably smaller and less ostentatious than Ruth's.

Even though Staatsburgh was just a two-hour drive from New York City, I felt like I'd visited a European palace.