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Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park (aka Mills-Norrie SP)
Staatsburgh, NY
- Dates: September 18–20, 2015.
- Site Number: 044
- Vibe: Woodsy campsites a stones throw from the Hudson.
- Weather:
- Friday: great
- Saturday: great, beautiful light all day.
- Sunday: great. a bit cooler.
- Pros: Great location in an historic area. Easy drive from Westchester. Has its own marina.
- Cons: No real ranger station and thus limited services. No swimming.
- Verdict: Our second time here. It's location makes this a great late summer or fall camping experience.
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Steve's Review:
Mills-Norrie State Park is two adjacent state parks, one rustic and one historic. The Ogden & Ruth Livingston Mills side is the site of Staatsburgh, the Mills's palatial mansion. The Margaret Lewis Norrie side is where the campground, hiking trails, marina and public golf course are located.
Staatsburgh, is an impressive Beaux-Arts mansion designed by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White. Completed in 1896, it contains 65 rooms, 14 bathrooms, and 23 fireplaces! Ogden Mills was a financier and thoroughbred horse breeder; his wife, Ruth, was a Livingston, a member of the prominent New York State family. Apparently, these people did "okay." Together with their children, twins Beatrice & Gladys, and son (and future Secretary of the Treasury) Ogden Livingston Mills, they only lived in the house from mid-September to Christmas of each year. After passing from family member to family member, eventually it came to Gladys, who gifted it to New York State when the upkeep became too much.
The owner of the adjacent property, Margaret Lewis Norrie, was a distant cousin to Ruth, and another Livingston descendent who was active in Dutchess County politics. The site had been developed as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in the 1930s.
The hamlet near the mansion and campsite, also known as Staatsburgh, has a fine Italian restaurant, Portfino. We ate here the last time we stayed at the park, and it was just as good the second time around. Just south of here is Hyde Park, home to Frederick William Vanderbilt's mansion Hyde Park, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home Springwood, his adjacent Presidential Library, Eleanor Roosevelt's nearby "cottage" Val-Kill, and the renowned Culinary Institute of America. Just north is Rhinebeck, a charming upscale village, AMTRAK stop and home to the Dutchess County Fair.
For us, this was a convenient, late-season camping trip. The sun sets earlier at this time of year—about 7:15 PM. There were, of course, some stragglers who arrived after dark and struggled to set up camp in the dark. The campground was a bit noisy at first, but eventually it quieted down. There was a loud generator humming until 10 PM, although thankfully no lights.
There had been a few improvements since our last visit, including 16-foot square tent platforms at sites 45 & 46. On Saturday, we took a spin into Rhinebeck in search of groceries and cold medicine. It's a cute town and it has a Bread Alone bakery, one of our favorites! On Sunday we toured the Mills Mansion for the first time; it was totally worth it. Ithe house is sited on a hill with a huge lawn that unfolds below to gives a commanding view of the river. I would love to have the money to build and maintain a mansion like that. I wouldn't really want the mansion, but it sure would be nice to have that kind of money! These people knew how to live.
Our second visit here was great again. There's no swimming, so that rules the park out for us during the high summer, but for September or October camping, it's hard to beat this park!
—SBW
