This 19th century estate located in Millbrook, NY, has been the subject of great photography and historical controversies. The estate has gone through many transformations and was originally constructed by German immigrant, Charles F. Dietrich at the turn of the 20th century. Designed by architect, James E. Ware, this Germanic estate was finely crafted by many Iberian, Italian, and German stone masons that migrated to America like Dietrich, too. The estate was referred to as a "country block" by other residents of the small village because Dietrich had also purchased the adjacent properties and christened his home, "Daheim".
In 1927, Dietrich died at the age of 91 and his son Alfred Elliot Dietrich inherited this exquisite Germanic estate but was unable to maintain the responsibilities due to health reasons. Daheim passed through many hands in various business deals and was then purchased by the Hitchcock family in the early 1960's. The children of famed Polo player, Thomas Hitchcock Jr., then rented the estate to the Castalia Foundation where Professor Timothy Leary started conducting LSD-25 experiments which gave birth to the east coast psychedelic revolution.
After several years into the decade, the social and political climate of the 1960's became inevitably tumultuous. Because of the Vietnam war coupled with the persecution of social revolutionaries and controversial figures like Timothy Leary wreaking havoc within society, the government stepped in. Daheim estate then became a target for Dutchess County Assistant District Attorney, G. Gordon Liddy, stemming from those LSD-25 experiments and there adverse affects upon society. After several raids and legal attempts to convict the professor, Leary was banished from Daheim. In an ironic twist of fate, several years later, G. Gordon Liddy went on to become one of the infamous "plumbers" in the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration and was convicted serving many years in a federal penitentiary. In recent years it's been revealed by government documents that Leary was part of the highly classified CIA's covert operation, MK-Ultra.
Through the many years as a Millbrook resident from Dutchess County, I've experienced the great pleasures and architectural wonders of this elegant estate and want to share these photos and brief history of the mysterious and intriguing Daheim estate. From the ornate gatehouse leading across to the stone bridge and elegant Victorian era statues, Daheim possesses many architectural fascinations steeped in historical mysteries.
