Schuyler Mansion

This magnificent Albany, New York, mansion was home to Maj. General Philip Schuyler, a wealthy landowner who was one of George Washington's first generals.

Heir to a vast empire of land and timber, 28-year-old Schuyler filled the Georgian house with expensive furnishings, carpet and wallpaper (figure A). For one particular room, he purchased worsted yellow damask for the upholstery, and the wallpaper that was decorated with real wool shavings to emulate the tapestries of Europe's castles (figure B).

When the Revolutionary War broke out, Schuyler put his life and his fortune on the line to accept the position of major general for the rebel army against the British. He transformed his home into a military headquarters and devised a plan to slow the invading army through New York state. Known as the Battle of York, the Americans forced the British general to surrender.