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Notable Gilded Age Mansion is Venue for Annual Historical Society Gala
One hundred very lucky party-goers - but only 100 - will be transported back 150 years to the heart of the Gilded Age at this year's Putnam County Historical Society Gala on September 15.
The gala is being held at Lisburne Grange, the magnificent Garrison mansion built by railroad magnate Samuel G. Sloan in 1864. Both Sloan and Lisburne Grange have rich histories. An Irish immigrant, Sloan was one of the first to grasp the potential of the nascent American rail network.
In 1855, he became president of the Hudson River Railroad, which had completed its New York-Albany line the previous year. Under his leadership, the company's shares rose from $17 to $140 in 1864. He went on to further success as president of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad from 1867 to 1899 and chairman of the board until his death in 1907. He was a member of the New York Senate for two years, a founder of what is now Citibank and, at the time of his death at age 89, the director or officer of more than 30 companies.
Sloan built Lisburne Grange as a weekend and summer home for himself, his wife, Margaret, and their family, which grew to include 11 children. His sonin law, Joseph Duryee, observed in his 1926 biography of his in-laws that while Sloan never took a regular vacation, he managed to spend virtually every Saturday and the early autumn in Garrison for more than 30 years. Much of that time he entertained his friends who lived on neighboring estates - among them, the Fishes, Osbornes and de Rhams.
In the 20th Century, Samuel Sloan, Jr., and his wife, Katherine Colt Sloan, hired Fletcher Steele, one of America's most noted landscape architects, to design the gardens, which feature glorious Hudson River views. The house was owned for a time by Vassar College in mid-century until it was purchased by the late William J Moss and his wife, Kathryn, in 1955.
Dinner at the Gilded Age Gala will be prepared by renowned chef Peter "Xaviar's" Kelly and served in the Lisburne Grange ballroom, perhaps the only private ballroom in Philipstown. Guests can dance to soul diva Carinda Swann and her band.
There's but one catch to this magical evening: only 100 tickets are available, and almost half of them have been sold. Philanthropists' tables of ten are still available at $5000 and include an early cocktail hour and guided tour of the gardens led by Katy Moss Warner, president emeritus of the American Horticulture Society. Robber Barons' tables of ten are $3500 and include a complimentary half-page ad in the program. Individual tickets are $250. Those not wishing to miss a once-in-a-century opportunity to relive the Gilded Age in Garrison should call the Putnam County Historical Society without delay at 265-4010.
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