House & Family History: In the late 1740s George Clarke (1676–1760) purchased Hyde Hall, the ancestral the home of his wife (Anne Hyde) that overlooked the River Tame. Clarke was earlier involved with the Province of New York, where he became secretary of the province in 1703 and acting governor in 1736. After the permanent governor was appointed, Clarke served as lieutenant governor until 1747, when he returned to England. During his time in New York Clarke purchased great swaths of land, including acreage on Long Island, where he founded what is today the village of New Hyde Park. Clarke's great grandson, George Clarke (1768-1835), inherited his great grandfather's 120,000 acres in New York state and moved to Albany in 1806. In 1813 he married the widow of James Fenimore Cooper's elder brother. In 1817 Clarke purchased land on Lake Otsego (today part of Glimmerglass State Park) and, between 1817 and 1834, built an impressive Neoclassical country house to the designs of Philip Hooker (see photo in "Images" section). Clarke named his new mansion Hyde Hall in honor of the family’s ancestral Cheshire home. The House is today owned by the State of New York and open to the public.

Garden & Outbuildings: The Hyde Corporation (local government) purchased the site of Hyde Hall in 1924.

House Listed: Demolished

Park Listed: Destroyed

Past Seat / Home of: Hyde family, 17th century. George Clarke, 18th century; Hyde John Clarke, 19th century.

Current Ownership Type: Demolished

Primary Current Ownership Use: Demolished

House Open to Public: No

Historic Houses Member: No