Millbrook's Migdale estate designed after Scottish castle enjoyed by Carnegie family

When Margaret Carnegie was born in March 1897, the only child of Scottish-American industrialist and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, she entered a life of wealth and privilege. Often cited as one of the richest people in history, the elder Carnegie transformed his early modest existence into a life in which he owned numerous residences, including Skibo Castle in Scotland, a structure that dates to 1212.

On April 22, 1919, just four months before her father’s death, Margaret married Roswell Miller Jr. at the Carnegie family home at 2 East 91st St. in New York City. Miller was a successful civil engineer and real estate executive, and the wedding received extensive coverage in The New York Times.

In the mid-1920s, along with other families of wealth in search of upstate property, Miller purchased 700 acres in Millbrook and enclosed the entire parcel with a 12-foot wire fence to protect his private herd of deer and elk. He established two entrances to the estate, one along Route 44 west of the Hamlet of Mabbettsville, and the other on Butts Hollow Road.

In 1927, financed by a gift from Margaret’s mother, Louise Whitfield Carnegie, Miller had a 22-room stone and wood mansion built on the estate in the style of Skibo Castle. It was named Migdale after his wife’s nickname, Midge.

Guests visiting the expansive, opulent structure arrived at a majestic porte cochere and into a 20- by 30-foot entrance hall that featured a grand staircase leading to the second floor. Entertaining was not a problem in the mansion’s 35- by 58-foot living room.

Dinner parties were held in a 20- by 30-foot dining room, and to maintain a tranquil atmosphere for adults, the house was also fitted with a separate dining room for children. And with 10 bedrooms, nine bathrooms and another eight half-bathrooms, overnight guests were well accommodated, perhaps more so than in their own homes.

Each of the first-floor rooms featured exposed beam ceilings and dark oak wood floors. An unusual but welcoming feature in the dwelling was a 30- by 30-foot conservatory, where the Millers housed tropical birds and plants.

“I arrived in Millbrook in 1970 and two weeks before Christmas I received an invitation to attend a carol singalong at Migdale,” said David Brinkerhoff. “Apparently, Roswell invited everyone in the community to his annual event. There were 200 to 300 people there and I recall an impressive 6-foot-long fireplace and someone playing an organ while everyone sang. Roswell greeted everyone as they arrived.”

The grounds featured a 35- by 75-foot swimming pool with three diving boards. Among the outbuildings on the estate, Miller added a four-car stone garage, an eight-room superintendent’s house, a gardener’s cottage, three greenhouses and four barns.

While some of the surrounding estate owners used their respective properties for weekend and/or summer getaways, the Millers maintained Migdale as their primary residence. That said they were known to spend long periods at Skibo Castle in Scotland, the very structure after which their home was designed.

To facilitate an easy traveling option, following World War ll, Miller had a 2,500-foot landing strip installed on the estate to accommodate private aircraft.

“The Roswells were wonderful people,” said John Kading. “They were members of Lyall Memorial Federated Church, where I went, and he invited the Christian Endeavor Society to Migdale for Easter. We were 12-14 years old at the time and it was just wonderful.” 

Miller and Margaret Carnegie divorced in 1953, with Miller retaining the Millbrook estate and Carnegie relocating to Connecticut. He died in 1983, at 88 years old, while Margaret lived to the age of 93, passing away in 1990.

In 2000, the current owners of Migdale purchased the estate and embarked on a four-year renovation of the four-story residence. The 34,000-square foot home was fitted with a number of modern amenities.

Migdale is at 3872 Route 44, Millbrook.

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