Discover Tisdale Mansion's Rich History

The Tisdale Mansion was built by George Leonard Tisdale between the years of 1815 & 1818.

Tisdale was the son of George Tisdale, Revolutionary soldier from Taunton, Massachusetts, who died October 3, 1828, at Sackets, aged seventy-three. George Leonard Tisdale died July 2, 1838, at the early age of fifty-two but the mansion remained in the family until 1868.

The Tisdale Mansion has a front gable with a wide fan light of dressed stone at its peak. The chimneys, quoins, elliptical arches, and lintels are all made of smooth dressed limestone. Identical side stone wings once had balustrades across their fronts. It is of Georgian type, symmetrical in construction with balancing wings and a beautiful doorway on the left-hand side of the main body leading into the side hall. 

Limestone was brought from Chaumont for the appealing old Tisdale mansion at the corner of Washington and Ambrose Streets, Sackets Harbor. An historical marker in front states that the house was constructed in 1819 and that a blockhouse “Fort Virginia” was erected on the site in 1812 as a defense against the British. 

An old ledger implies that George was head of the firm of Tisdale & Livingston and later of Tisdale & Co, which had for its customers Dr Samuel Guthrie, discoverer of chloroform, Colonel Elisha Camp, the U S Quartermaster Department at Madison Barracks and others.  

Tour our site to learn about our journey to restore all her beauty,

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