[1] The mansion, a New York State Historic Site, is considered a fine example of the great estates built during the Gilded Age.

In 1792, Morgan Lewis, the third governor of New York, purchased an estate covering of about 334 acres (135 ha) and commissioned the construction of a colonial-style house on the site of the present-day mansion.

The mansion was used as a residence and for entertaining by the family; they owned five homes in total, and stayed at Staatsburgh mainly during the fall season between mid-September and the Christmas holidays.

At the remainder of the year, the family stayed in one of their other residences in New York City, Paris, Newport, Rhode Island, and California.

In 1938, Gladys Mills Phipps donated the house and 192 acres (78 ha) of land to the state of New York as a memorial to her parents.

On the inside of the building, wall paint and furnishing fabrics are in need of replacement, marble and wooden surfaces need to be cleaned and the objects of the mansion's collection need to be conserved.