About The Georgi

The Georgi Estate is situated on nine acres along a curve of the Battenkill. This side of the kill is in Salem township; the far side in the Town of Jackson.

The land was owned by Clarence Jackson, a prominent citizen of Shushan, a farmer, businessman, and postmaster, who used to lead his cows along Adams Lane, the little dirt road leading off from Main Street, down here to pasture.
There's a wonderful deep swimming hole right on the curve of the river, and for generations, the kids of Shushan enjoyed swimming there on hot summer days. Fishing was a favorite of young and old.

In 1952, Clarence sold this land to William Georgi, a wealthy banker in New York City, and his wife Maria. The Georgis built this house on the property for their son Henry. Wanting to establish privacy, they promptly put up a fence. It did not sit well with the residents of Shushan, who missed their old swimming hole. This fence remained in place for the next several decades.

Henry did not enjoy the house all that much and did not spend much time here. He and his wife Jessie lived in a Victorian house at the corner of Main Street and Adams Lane. Jessie did live here for about the last year of her life, after her husband had died. She was a kind and generous woman, and endeared herself to the people of Shushan. Henry died in 1980 at the age of 49, his wife eight years later. They are both buried here on the Georgi grounds.

It was the wish of both Jessie and Henry that the estate be turned over to the residents of the Town of Salem. The estate is managed by the Town of Salem, under the auspice of a director and a volunteer stewardship committee.

After the town took ownership, the fence was promptly taken down and the house and grounds opened to the public at no charge. They are maintained primarily by volunteer effort. The gardens were installed by volunteers and are maintained by volunteers. On a pleasant day you're likely to see kids and adults from Shushan and elsewhere wandering the grounds, picnicking, swimming, reading, enjoying a concert on the lawn or tubing, kayaking or canoeing down the river.

The old garage, up near the entrance to the grounds, has been turned into a community center. There are bathrooms, tables and chairs, and a small kitchen which can be used by various groups.

The Georgi has sponsored many events in past years, including children's theatre, concerts, the Mettawee Theatre Company, Shakespeare in the Park, Halloween and Christmas events. Occasional church services are held along the banks of the river. Art shows are held regularly in the museum. Many weddings have been held on the grounds, and the descendants of some of those kids who swam in the old swimming hole in the old days before the Georgi years have been wedded here.

The art itself is somewhat of a mystery. While the Georgis turned over the entire estate to Salem’s residents - the house and everything in it - they unfortunately did not leave a whole lot of information about the contents. Perhaps the elder Georgis did not pass the information along to their son; perhaps they did not know that much about the art themselves. We know that the elder Georgis had amassed a collection of art between the World Wars in Europe. In 1937 Mr. Georgi, an Englishman who had served his country in the First World War, sensed trouble brewing again. Not willing to endure another war, he moved his family and his art to the United States. He settled in New York City and became a banker. From there the family found its way to Shushan and fell in love with this beautiful and quiet spot on the river.

The paintings are primarily of Italian, Dutch, Flemish, German and French origin from the 14th through the 18th centuries. Many are religious in nature as the art from those centuries tended to be religiously oriented. There are many portrayals of Madonna with Child, Portraits of Christ and the Crucifixion, Saints, etc. Some of the paintings are unsigned. Others simply state "In the manner of," or "School of .. " Some may look familiar, as they appear to be copies of famous originals. Some are rendered on boards rather than canvas. Some art appraisers believe some may be student renditions. Others aver that since the paintings were done for "the glory of God," to have signed them would have given undesired recognition to the artist.

Other antique Georgi treasures include Chinese and Asian tapestries and porcelain; stained glass; furnishings; and the mineral collection of Henry Georgi, a mining engineer who had traveled in exotic places such as Africa and New Zealand. Even the oriental rugs at your feet have an inestimable artistic value.