Henry Clausen, Jr.

From The Sharon Springs Chatter August 2011

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CLAUSEN RIDGE

The land now known as the Clausen Estate, had been the prosperous farm of the Eldredge family— in 1799, Barnabas Eldredge built the first school in the town of Sharon for his family and neighboring children on the property. This school burned in 1843. The Eldredge family and their home was considered significant enough to be illustrated in William Roscoe’s book, History of Schoharie County, New York, published in 1882. In 1890, Henry Clausen, Jr. purchased the Manor House, as well as a small cabin west of this structure, and approximately 360 acres of land on either side of the Great Western Turnpike from Sarah Becker, daughter of David Eldredge who was instrumental in starting the Spa Era when he moved a boarding house next to the sulfursprings.

Mr. Clausen, a prominent New Yorker and highly successful brewer, chose Sharon Springs for his summer home because of the flourishing Hop industry in the region. Other brewers also purchased homes in the area: the Schaeffer family owned a home in the lower village, the Busch family in nearby Cooperstown. Clausen’s sprawling compound continues to rival the view of the then-famous Pavilion Hotel with 90-mile vistas over the Mohawk Valley into the Adirondack and Green Mountains of Vermont.

By 1879, the Clausen Brewery produced 89,992 barrels of beer per year, the 9th largest brewery in the USA. Henry, the son of a German immigrant brewer, achieved much success financially and politically. At age 34, Henry became an Alderman in the city of New York, held the Vice-Presidency of the German Up-Town Savings Bank as well as being Vice-President of Brewers’ Fire Insurance Company. By 1890, Clausen had been elected to the State Assembly, spent several years as President of the United States Brewers’ Congress, the New York City Brewers’ Association, and the Plattdeutsch VolksfestVerein.

The building on the estate known as The Casino was completed and opened in 1892; work on this project began in 1890. This two-story gentlemen’s quarters with 6 bedrooms, became the place for Clausen’s beer associates and political friends to work out in the gym, drink, gamble, smoke cigars, play billiards, and bowl. Their activities were considered too “rough” for their wives and daughters who stayed either at the Manor or the other large home on the estate now called the Main House.

The Clausen Estate Casino hosted many conventions of brewers and political groups. Henry Clausen, Jr., belonged to the Democratic Party and a group calling itself The Oliagawallas— photos still exist showing gatherings of men at The Casino dressed in “Indian” headdresses. Unfortunately, Henry died soon after completion of his Casino in December of 1893. The only daughter, Marie Clausen Schmidt, inherited the property but sold the Main House to her brother George, and what is today the Manor home property to her brother, Harry Clausen. Harry gave the Casino and fields below to his brother George for repayment of a debt in the 1930s. George began improvements on the small one-story cabin in 1890. The original structure dates from 1830 and was considered a “bachelor’s cabin.” After several additions between 1890 and 1914, this 2½ story, L-plan frame house has a picturesque appearance with a variety of one and two story porches and many different window treatments [dormers, cross gable, and bay windows]— George transformed the building into a family residence. The family added to the estate three barns, a playhouse, a spring-house, tennis court and swimming pool. George was a consummate horseman, once President of the New York Riding Club— a New York Times article describes the ride of twelve New York horsemen through the Catskills and Mohawk Valley including George and his brother, Charles. George Clausen remained socially prominent in NYC and was known for his philanthropic causes. He and his wife, Marie, were instrumental in founding the Sharon Springs Free Library in 1911, the first such institution in Schoharie County. George helped to found the Central National Bank, precursor to NBT. During the first half of the 20th Century as the families of the three brothers and their sister grew, the Clausen Estate served as a family compound for most of the summer. Charles and his family owned a home in the lower village; while their sister, Marie, had a home in nearby Hyndsville—after Harry’s death she returned to spend her summers at the Clausen Estate.

Upon George’s death the Main House property was eventually passed down to two of his daughters, Bertha and Hilda. Hilda Clausen Rodman married but had no children. Bertha was married twice: the first time to Alexander Schmidt [Marie%E2%80%99s adopted son] and the second time to Robert Stuart. The property passed on after Bertha’s death to her two children, Eric Schmidt and Sandra Stuart. Eric sold his half of the property to his stepsister Sandra because he was living on the West Coast at this time. Sandra Schmidt sold the Main House and the Casino to Tim and Kathy Spofford in 1989.

Tim Spofford is the great grandson of Harry Clausen. The Spoffords operated the estate as a Bed and Breakfast with a llama farm and continued the family traditions of leadership. Both Tim and Kathy were active members of the Sharon Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce, opening their home for numerous community events. They built the clinic west of the main estate that houses the Bassett Health Care today. Kathy partnered with Maureen Lodes to open the Cobbler and Company, a popular gift shop in the village, and was a founding member of the Arts Council, a member of the 20th Century Club, and an officer on the Recreation Council.Their children and grandchildren are the 6th and 7th generations to have spent time at the Clausen compound. During the Spoffords’ tenure, Rachel Ray produced one of her cooking shows there and became a big fan of the village. The Bed and Breakfast closed in 2009. Susan Dost and Yvonne Gardner from California purchased the estate in 2010.

Compiled by: Nancy Pfau, Sharon Town Historian. With assistance from: Tim Spofford, Sandra Manko, and the Cooperstown Graduate Program