Georgina Schuyler: Young Preservationist

Georgina Schuyler, aged 4.
Painted by John Carlin, 1845. At NYHS.

By Jessie Serfilippi

May is Historic Preservation Month, which provides us with some time to reflect on and appreciate the many people who have worked to preserve Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site starting in the early 20th century up to the modern day. 

Two women in particular were important in the early preservation of Schuyler Mansion: Louisa Lee and Georgina Schuyler, direct descendants of Philip and Catharine Schuyler through their grandson, George Lee Schuyler, and great-granddaughter, Eliza Hamilton.

Louisa Lee and Georgina were born in 1837 and 1841 respectively. They had an older brother Philip, and were close to their parents, their aunt Mary Hamilton, great-grandmother Mary Ann Sawyer Schuyler and her family in Boston, and spent a lot of time at the home of their grandfather, James Alexander Hamilton, in Irvington, NY. They grew up mainly in New York City, but traveled often as young adults.

George Lee Schuyler, 1839.
By Richard Morell Staigg. At NYHS.

In 2019, Schuyler Mansion was fortunate to acquire letters to and from George Lee Schuyler, Eliza Hamilton Schuyler, Philip, Louisa Lee, and Georgina. The letters provide a window into their lives, travels, interests, and education. An 1859 letter from seventeen-year-old Georgina also reveals an early interest in history and historic preservation.

In 1859, Georgina was attending school in Boston. On Tuesday, February 22, 1859, she wrote a letter to her father about the festivities she attended that day to celebrate George Washington’s birthday.

“Dear Father–– Today being Washingtons [sic] birthday we have had a holiday, which I have entirely appreciated [...] this morning I received Mothers [sic] Sunday letter, telling me of Mt Vernon donations––The day has been very fine, & the bells have rung, the canons have been fired, the Hancock house open to the public, a fair opened, a grand ball tonight at one of the theatres, & last, not least, Mrs. Harrison Grey [O]tis received her friends- So you see they do things in quite a spirited ways to celebrate the day, even if they wont [sic] buy Mt. Vernon, which they ought to; I think its is [sic] a great shame that they don’t.”

In her letter, Georgina mentions two historic homes: the Hancock House, or Hancock Manor as it was known, and Mount Vernon. 

Hancock Manor, circa winter of 1860.

Hancock Manor, once home to John Hancock, served as headquarters to British General Henry Clinton before his evacuation from Boston and was where John Hancock hosted Washington, Lafayette, and other famous guests. In 1859, when Georgina visited, it was privately owned by his heirs, who opened it to visitors for the day. That same year, the heirs offered to sell it to Massachusetts to serve as the Governor's Mansion, but by 1863, the state had failed to purchase it, and it was sold at public auction. It was torn down less than two weeks after its sale.

Mount Vernon met a different fate. A year after Georgina penned her letter, the Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA) raised enough funds to purchase Mount Vernon from John Augustine Washington. Ann Pamela Cunningham, founder of MVLA, started the association’s efforts in 1853, and by late 1859, raised $200,000. The MVLA officially took over the home in 1860 and began the process of preserving it and turning it into the historic site it is today.

In their adult years, Georgina and her sister became involved in the preservation of Schuyler Mansion and donated a sizable amount of the furniture and items they inherited from both their Schuyler and Hamilton ancestors. Their efforts during the early years of Schuyler Mansion as a museum and the donations they made to the site will be explored in upcoming blog posts, so stay tuned!

For further exploring: The Ticonderoga Historical Society is housed in a replica of the Hancock House.