Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Clermont State Historic Site

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Clermont State Historic Site closed due to maintenance work

The mansion at Clermont State Historic Site will be closed for tours beginning May 27, 2025, for maintenance of the heating/air conditioning system. The closure is anticipated to last for four weeks. While the house is closed the grounds will be remain open to the public seven days a week from 8:30 am - sunset. The Visitor Center and giftshop are open Thursday - Sunday 10:30 am - 4:00pm.

Address
One Clermont Avenue (GPS use 416 Woods Rd)
Germantown, NY 12526
Latitude 42.085087
Longitude -73.911835

2025 Geocache Challenge

Clermont State Historic Site was the country seat of the Livingston family. Originally a Georgian Mansion, over the years the house was added onto to give it its present appearance. Seven generations of Livingstons as well as dozens of enslaved people and paid servants lived at Clermont. The land surrounding the house was occupied by tenant farmers, beholden to the Livingston, the farms of small freeholders and mills. For the first few generations, Livingston owned ships full of paid sailors plied the river between Clermont, New York City and Albany. Over time, through land sales and the division of land through gifts and inheritance Clermont's land shrunk until it was just the confines of the present historic site. With this contraction of land came a contraction of power and influence for the family.

Today Clermont is decorated as it appeared circa 1930 when it was home to Alice Delafield Clarkson Livingston, her daughters Honoria and Janet, and their staff of servants.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973, Clermont is also an anchor of the Hudson River National Landmark District.

Don't miss these popular destinations and attractions within or near Clermont State Historic Site:

·         Gift Shop - Located in the Visitor Center is currently closed and will reopen summer 2023.

·         Visitors Center - View Spero Meliora: Life in the Land of Livingston

Clermont was the home to generations of the politically powerful and wealthy Livingston family, but they were not the only people who lived at the site. Enslaved people, indigenous people, tenants and paid workers all lived and worked here and left their own mark on the site. The exhibit explores how the lives of the Livingstons of Clermont, and all the other residents of this location were intertwined and how they left their imprint on the mansion's appearance and legacy.

  • The Four Gardens of Clermont

o    Cutting Garden - once provided cut flowers for vases in the house

o    Walled Garden - influenced by gardens in Florence, Italy

o    Wilderness Garden - connects the Upper Garden with the Walled Garden, the centerpiece is the fishpond


Hours of Operation

  • Guided House Tours

    Reopening: June 8, 2023 year-round

    Thursday-Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm Tours on the hour

  • Visitor Center
    Hours: Currently Friday-Sunday, 10:30am-4:00pm expanding on June 8, 2023 to Thursday-Sunday, 10:30am-4:00pm.  Open year-round.

    For more information or to schedule a group tour, please call (518) 537- 4240.

  • Gardens & Grounds: Open year-round 8:30 am to sunset.

Fees & Rates

Most New York State Parks charge a vehicle use fee to enter the facility. Fees vary by location and season. A list of entry fees and other park use fees is available below. For fees not listed or to verify information, please contact the park directly.

The easy-to-use Empire Pass card is $80- and your key to all-season enjoyment with unlimited day-use entry at most facilities operated by State Parks and the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation including forests, beaches, trails and more. Purchase online or contact your favorite park for more information. Learn more about our Admission Programs including the Empire Pass.

  • Vehicle Use Fee
  • $5

    Fee collected at Pay Stations in the parking lot weekends and Monday holidays between April 1st - October 31st from 11:00a.m. to 4:00p.m., and for special events at the gate.

  • Admission/House Tours
  • $10 - adult
    $8 - Seniors/students over 12
    Free - Children under 12

    Please inquire for group & school group rates.
  • Educational Programs
  • $2/student on-site
    $50/class off-site
  • Lawn Rentals for Parties
  • Arryl Lawns – North and South - $1,000
    Southwest Lawn: $2,800
    Mansion North - $1,500
    Wedding ceremony - $600

  • Picnicking - Group Picnics
  • $40 - permit required for over 25 people
    $50 - for groups over 50 persons
    $100 - for groups over 100 people

Maps

Digital Maps

New! Download this park's digital map to your iOS Apple and Android device.

Clermont was built by Robert Livingston during the 1730's on 13,000 acres left to him by his father Robert Livingston, First Lord of Livingston Manor. The house was home to seven successive generations of the Livingstons family but also dozens of enslaved people and paid workers.

The house was burned by the British army in 1777. Margaret Beekman Livingston worked to have the house rebuilt, between 1778 and 1783, by using her family's power and influence to have the governor release local workers, most descended from Palatine immigrants, released to work on the home. The British burned the home because of the family's deep ties to the Revolutionary War. Margaret's husband, Judge Robert R. Livingston, had been a host and member of the Stamp Act Congress and had also built the first gunpowder mill in New York. Her son Henry Beekman Livingston was colonel of the 4th New York Regiment. Her eldest son, and the house's most prominent resident, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston was a member of the Continental Congress and had helped draft the Declaration of Independence. He also helped to draft the New York State Constitution and served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Confederation government. After the war he would negotiate the Louisiana Purchase and coinvent the first practical steamboat, The North River Steamboat of Clermont, or The Clermont for short.

Subsequent generations of the family never rose to the power and prestige of the revolutionary generations but did do their best to preserve the legacy of that generation.

Throughout all these generations enslaved people and, after the technical end of slavery in New York in 1827, paid servants were tasked, whether against their will or for money, with mundane housekeeping work ensuring that Livingstons could live comfortably and project an image of power and importance. 

Guided House Tours

Tours resume June 8, 2023. Tickets may be purchased in the Visitor Center.

Year-round

Thursday - Sundays, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm (last tour at 4:00 pm)

For more information or to schedule a group tour, please call (518) 537-4240

Visitor Center:
Currently open Friday - Sunday, 10:30am to 4:00pm and Monday Holidays
Beginning June 8, 2023 hours will change to Thursday-Sunday 10:30am-4:00pm and Monday holidays

Group tours by appointment only.

Gardens & Grounds: Open year-round, 8:30am to sunset

Vehicle Use Fee - Pay Stations: Collected 4/1-10/31, weekends and holidays

Throughout the year, Clermont hosts special events that highlight the site's whole history. Major events include The Sheep and Wool Showcase, Independence Day at Clermont, Legends by Candlelight and The Holidays at Clermont. In addition lectures, performances, and activities for children throughout the year offer everyone opportunities to experience different aspects of the history of Clermont, the Livingstons and all those who lived and worked here for generations. Please check out our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ClermontSHS for information on upcoming events.


Deer, archery only. Limited and controlled hunt annually from November 1 through November 30. Special permit required - by lottery. Orientation session required; strict boundary limits. Call site for details and to request an application for the lottery : (518) 537-4240.


Thu 29 May
Harmonies on the Hudson
Thursday, May 29, 2025 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Clermont State Historic Site
All concerts (weather permitting) are at 6 p.m. adjacent to the main visitor parking lot. It is recommended that attendees bring their own seating. Picnics are encouraged! The Wallpapers are a versatile acoustic duo that has been delighting audiences throughout the Hudson Valley and NYC with their eclectic song selections, new takes on old classics, and well-crafted original tunes. Featuring powerhouse vocalist, Amy Serrago and multi-instrumentalist and producer, Yves Gerard. Amy (BFA, NYU Tisch School of the Arts) and Yves (Bachelor of Music, Manhattan School of Music) started The Wallpapers to share their passion for music and connect with audiences on a more personal level. Stripping the songs down to the essentials delivers them in a way that's emotional and true. The Wallpapers honest approach and unparalleled musicianship brings an organic atmosphere of true joy to any venue they play. Click here to register.
Registration: Required
Thu 29 May
The Wallpapers
Thursday, May 29, 2025 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Clermont State Historic Site
An acoustic duo with new takes on old classics and well-crafted original tunes.
Sat 07 Jun
Bird Walk with the Alan Devoe Bird Club
Saturday, June 7, 2025 08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Clermont State Historic Site
Grab your binoculars and field guides and join us for a spring stroll around Clermont State Historic Site with the Alan Devoe Bird Club! We'll keep our eyes and ears open as we look and listen for spring migrant birds throughout the grounds. We may even spot bright and colorful, forest-loving Magnolia Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers, and Black-throated Blue Warblers who migrate up to Clermont from Central and Southern U.S. Comfortable shoes are suggested. Fun for all ages!
Sun 08 Jun
Magic Lantern Show
Sunday, June 8, 2025 07:30 AM - 09:30 AM
Clermont State Historic Site
From the late 17th century to the dawn of the 20th, the magic lantern transformed storytelling into an enlivened visual experience. By the late-Victorian era, the magic lantern was an important and ubiquitous visual medium. Eventually eclipsed by the coming of the movies, the wonders of this once-familiar entertainment are rarely experienced by the modern audiences. Join magic lantern performers Dawn Elliott and Joel Schlemowitz as they bring this fascinating medium back to life at Clermont, presenting their award-winning magic lantern show. Using period-era glass slides, magic lantern projectors, music and narration, the program encompasses tales of Victorian-era anthropomorphic animals, animated images, nautical disasters, and circus antics. This is a rare opportunity to marvel at hand-colored images, dissolving views, and animated effect slides, showcasing the remarkable visual experience of bygone times.
Sun 22 Jun
Colonial Crossroads Juneteenth Concert
Sunday, June 22, 2025 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Clermont State Historic Site
On June 19th, 1865, enslaved people living in Texas were freed. With Texas being the last place in the traitorous Confederacy that the Emancipation Proclamation to reach, that day became synonymous with the freeing of enslaved people in America. Now a federal holiday, the name is derived from combining "June" and "nineteenth". Musical group Carla and Keyes, Carla Lynne Hall and Jim Keyes present a family friendly interpretation of African and European traditions and instruments that influenced each other during the Colonial and Revolutionary years. The audience is encouraged to participate in call-and-response and body percussion techniques. Jim is a multi-instrumentalist who uses baroque guitar, mandolin, mountain dulcimer and recorders to perform European music from the Colonial Era. Carla represents the African side of Colonial America through stories and songs performed on Shekere and Djembe.

Amenities Information

  • Amenities
  • Demonstrations (Accessible)
  • Equestrian Trails
  • Hiking
  • Picnic Area (Accessible)
  • Snowshoeing/X-Country Skiing
  • Tours
  • Visitor Center (Accessible)