Regaling his listeners with scandalous tales of the Gilded Age, Don Fraser, educator at the Staatsburgh Estate, spoke at the Amenia Free Library on Thursday, March 27.
AMENIA — Rampant unseemly escapades, the norm among members of the social set during the Gilded Age, were detailed during a colorful talk at the Amenia Free Library on Thursday, March 27. The Gilded Age extended from about 1865 to 1914.
The featured speaker was Don Fraser of the Staatsburgh Estate, a state historic site with a stately summer mansion overlooking the Hudson River. His presentation included a selection of images which illustrated the historic narrative of the life and home of Ruth Livingston Mills, her capitalist husband, Ogden, and the wealthy socialites and aristocrats who kept themselves amused by seamy society events and sordid sleepovers at homes such as Staatsburgh.
Fraser emphasized, however, that Ruth Mills herself modeled impeccable morals, unlike many of her houseguests.
Staatsburgh had been the 25-room childhood home of Ruth Livingston, which was expanded to 79 rooms in 1895, designed by noted architect Stanford White, in keeping with similar homes overlooking the Hudson River. The Mills’ son, also Ogden — Secretary of State under Herbert Hoover — donated the home to the state in 1938.
Fraser noted that it was Mark Twain who coined the descriptive phrase, The Gilded Age, to indicate that the lifestyles “looked good from the outside in the face of squalor and corruption.”
“All that glitters is not gold,” Fraser reminded his audience. The stories of sexual adventures and dalliances he recounted during his talk that named names drew audible gasps from his modern-day local listeners. His concluding contrast with the lives of tenement dwellers during those years brought home his point.
The Staatsburgh Historic Site offers a series of themed tours, including one devoted to the scandals, along with other themes such as Titanic connections, or lives of the servants, Fraser said, inviting listeners to plan a visit to tour the mansion that is open year-round.
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NOTICE OF FORMATION OF ST ENDS DIGITAL LLC
Articles of Organization filed with the New York Secretary of State (SSNY) on June 16, 2025. Office location: Dutchess County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: St Ends Digital LLC, 94 Yellow City Road, Amenia, NY 12501.Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
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Legal Notice
Please take notice that the Town of Pine Plains Town Board will be accepting sealed bids for the purchase of the following materials for the year 2026:
1) Bituminous asphalt (various sizes) including cold mix asphalt using the most current posted price index.
2) Crushed stone (all sizes).
3) Ice control sand- all crushed stone shall meet Section 703 of the NYSDOT ‘Standard Specifications’ and Natural and Processed Sands and Gravels, Crushed Stone, Aggregate, Run of Bank Gravel specifications of County of Dutchess. All stone and asphalt materials shall come from NYSDOT approved plant. Bid prices on all of the above materials per ton, with the exception of asphalt should be for both F.O.B. and delivered.
4) Liquid calcium chloride for summer and winter.
5) Blended diesel fuel.
6) #2 Heating oil for garage, winter mix December through February for heating oil only.
7) Mid-Grade and Regular no lead gasoline.
8) Liquid Propane for garage and library.
All bids should use the Albany OPIS for the Friday immediately preceding the bid opening date.
Bids will be accepted until 12:00 noon Friday August 8, 2025 at the Town Clerks Office, PO Box 955, 3284 Route 199 Pine Plains, NY 12567 at which time they will be opened and read aloud.
In order for your bid to be considered complete, the following must be submitted as required by Section 103D of the Municipal Law:
Non-Collusive Bidding Certificate
Certificate of Insurance Naming Town of Pine Plains as Certificate Holder
All bids must be submitted in sealed envelopes with the following information on the outside:
1. Materials Bids 2026
2. August 8, 2025, 12:00PM
The Town Board reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids. The F.O.B. plant price will be analyzed with full consideration given to the distance of the plant to the project location.
Any questions should be directed to the Highway Department at (518) 398-6662.
By order of the
Town Board of the Town of Pine Plains
Madelin Dafoe
Town Clerk
07-24-25
07-31-25
Join our team! Housatonic Child Care Center: in Salisbury CT, is now looking for a full-time, full-year preschool assistant teacher to join our team! The primary responsibility is to support the lead teacher by offering high-quality educational experiences to preschoolers. Must pass a background check and health screening. Pay is based on education and experience. Send your resume to housatonicchildcarecenter@gmail.com or contact Tonya or Betzy at 860-435-9694 for more information.
Town of Cornwall Hiring Park & Recreation Director: The Town of Cornwall is hiring for a Park & Recreation Director. Accepting applications until September 1. For more details and to apply, contact First Selectmen’s office 860-672-4959.
Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.
Seeking Caretaking Position: Married couple seek position on estate or gentleman’s farm in or around Lichfield County in exchange for living quarters. Extremely responsible and discreet. Experienced in grounds maintenance and cattle and horse care. Proficient with tractor mowing, snowplowing, fencing, chainsaw work, lawn care, etc. Recently returned to NE after decade teaching abroad. Please contact Stephen & Sumaira Johnson at (959) 895-5701 sjohnsonvt61@
gmail.com
LABRADOR ORPHAN wanted: as companion for RESCUE MIX (5 years). Sharon. 407-620-7777.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
WINSTED — Gilbert Kenneth Schoonmaker, of Monroe, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on July 24, 2025, at the age of 77. Born on Jan. 18, 1948, in Winsted, Connecticut to Gilbert and Alta (Bierce) Schoonmaker, Gil spent four decades enjoying life on Highland Lake before settling in Monroe.
He is lovingly survived by his wife of 56 years, Sally (Gustafson) Schoonmaker, and his two daughters, Lynn Sindland and her husband Lee of Lead Hill, Arkansas, and Deb Pikiell and her husband Tim of Bristol, Connecticut. Gil was a proud grandfather to Ozzie, Tommy, Betsy, Katie, George, Lucy, Maddie, Joey, and Julia, and he cherished his time with his eight great-grandchildren. Gilbert leaves behind his siblings Ann, Gary, Gail, Jan, and Tim.
Gil met Sally, the love of his life, while attending Housatonic Valley Regional High School.He went on to attend Northwest Community College before serving in the United States Air Force. Professionally, he was the longtime owner of Universal Business Equipment in Bridgeport, a role he held with pride for more than 20 years.
Gil had a lifelong passion for the outdoors and was an avid golfer and fly fisherman. He also enjoyed birdwatching and gardening. Perhaps more than anything, Gil will be remembered for his love of cooking. He took great joy in preparing meals for family and friends. Right up until his final days, he was finding joy in discovering new ways to cook the vegetables he grew in his garden.
Friends and family are invited to attend a funeral service at Stepney Baptist Church, 423 Main Street in Monroe on Tuesday, July 29at 11:00 a.m.
To leave an online message of condolence, please visit Gilbert’s tribute page at www.OBrien-FuneralHome.com
The Millerton Village Offices on Route 22 north of the intersection with Route 44.
MILLERTON — The anticipated follow-up to the May 21 special meeting regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement will take place Tuesday, July 29, at 6 p.m. Legal counsel for the village is expected to attend.
At the May meeting, nearly 20 residents and community members urged the village board to adopt a local law limiting cooperation between Millerton’s police and ICE, aiming to protect immigrants, including undocumented individuals. While no resolution was reached, Mayor Jenn Najdek committed to holding a follow-up meeting where village legal counsel would be present to help clarify questions and explore the proposal in more depth.
The May meeting featured passionate community input stressing the moral and legal importance of clear local guidelines on ICE cooperation, balanced against concerns from officials about potential budget strains and the risk of losing federal infrastructure funding.
According to the agenda released by the village, the ICE discussion is slated to occur early in the meeting. Other key items include a public hearing on Local Law X — intended to expand eligibility for planning and zoning board positions to residents of Dutchess County — and a resolution to approve a recreation contract with the Town of North East.
The meeting is open to the public and will take place at the village offices at 5933 N. Elm Ave.
