Hudson Valley HS Wrestling

Clermont offers a glimpse into seven generations of the prominent Livingston family, and its 485-acre grounds afford superb views of the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River.

Befitting his ownership of some 600,000 acres, Robert Livingston Jr. built a grand brick and stone home on a hill above the Hudson between 1730 and 1750. Over the next 230 years, the house underwent many changes, including a nearly complete rebuilding after being burned by the British in 1777 and a remodeling in the Colonial Revival style in the 1920s. The house, its contents, and grounds were given to the state in 1962.

Clermont appears much as it did in 1930, with fine furnishings from all three centuries of the family's occupancy. The wide main hall contains portraits of many of the house's residents, including Chancellor Robert Livingston, a drafter of the Declaration of Independence. The parlors and dining room feature fine Georgian and Federal-period furniture, along with exquisite chandeliers, porcelain, and artwork.

Clermont's grounds also reflect changing tastes. The Lilac Walk was planted in the 1820s. Two of the formal gardens - a Walled Garden in the Italian style and a Wilderness Garden - created between 1909 and 1935 have been restored. The Sheepfold (where the Chancellor pastured his flock) features 200-year-old locust trees and a gently sloping lawn. The site also has seven miles of trails.

The visitor center, housed in the estate's carriage barn, contains an orientation exhibit on the Livingstons and their roles in local, state, and national history.

Clermont, One Clermont Avenue, Germantown. The visitor center and historic house are open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun. from April 1-October 31, and from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends from November 1-December 15. The center and house are also open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday holidays between April 1 and October 31. The visitor center only is open from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends from January 1-March 31. Admission fee. 518-537-4240.