Lecture: Ladies of the Valley: Women of the Hudson Valley’s Great Estates

Ladies of the Valley: Women of the Hudson Valley's Great Estates

Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024

In-Person Event
$7/person | HRMM Members FREE

Program Topic:

With names like Astor, Roosevelt, and Livingston, the women featured in “Ladies of the Valley” were born into families of great privilege, owners of large tracts of land in the Hudson Valley. These women were mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of wealthy landowners, and were often left in charge of these estates while the men were off pursuing political, military and business glories. Despite little education in these fields, these women often took on the roles of farmer, landlord, accountant, merchant, horticulturist and nurse to do what was required to maintain their families, their employees, and their properties. At the same time, they worked to fulfill their roles as society matrons, matriarchs, and philanthropists in the society of New York City and the Hudson Valley, overseeing the education of their children, arranging appropriate marriages, and ensuring their heirs’ successes in that small society of Old New York. 

This presentation will highlight several of these women and offer insights and anecdotes from their lives, which largely reflect women’s changing roles over centuries. Celebrate Women’s History Month by learning about the powerful women of this region!

Presenter:

Mary Mistler has lived in the Hudson Valley area for most of her life, has worked as an administrator and teacher, and has volunteered as a docent at the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Vanderbilt Mansion and the Wilderstein Historic Site. In 2020, she published her book, Ladies of the Valley: Women of the Great Estates of the Hudson Valley.

This program is being presented in-person at the Hudson River Maritime Museum's Wooden Boat School. The Wooden Boat School is located at 86 Rondout Landing, Kingston, NY 12401.

Members can recieve their registration discount by logging-in. Please note that you must be a current member the date of the event to receive your discount.