Even if you're not a U.S. history buff, I'm betting you know about Abraham Lincoln's humble beginnings in a log cabin. So you might be surprised to hear that his son, Robert Todd Lincoln, owned a magnificent 24-room house built on 412 sprawling acres in Manchester, Vermont. It's called Hildene, and I had the pleasure of visiting it last month.
If you've been reading this blog for a while (thank you!), then you already know from my post about Edith Wharton's house that I'm in HEAVEN if I'm allowed to roam around a turn-of-the-century home all by myself, to take pictures at leisure. And just like at Edith Wharton's house, I had free range to roam and snap at the Lincoln house. During the winter months, you can take a self-guided tour of Hildene. There are gracious staff members on the premises to introduce you to the property and answer any questions, but basically, you're on your own. (Just the way I like it!)
Robert Todd Lincoln, the only child of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to survive to adulthood, had this Georgian Revival mansion built in 1905 and it was the private summer home of Lincoln descendants until 1975.
Robert was the Chairman of the Pullman Company, the largest manufacturing corporation at the turn of the 20th century. You can walk through a beautifully restored 10-section Pullman car, the "Sunbeam", tucked into the woods of the estate. It's the same Pullman car that was used by President William McKinley and President Theodore Roosevelt.
Pretty grand, don't you think? It was interesting, though, to read the historical details provided outside of the Sunbeam, telling about how many of the recently freed slaves became hard-working porters at Pullman, serving the wealthy passengers who used Pullman cars for their travel. The porters formed the first all-black union, which was instrumental to the Civil Rights Movement.
The class divide is in evidence inside the mansion, too. The Lincolns employed 15 full-time servants, and the difference between the servants' quarters and the family's living quarters is striking. Not that the servants were living in hardship--far from it! Their quarters were comfortable and quite pleasant, but on a different level entirely from the Lincolns. I felt like I had stepped into the "upstairs/downstairs" world of Downton Abbey! Can't you just picture Anna or Mrs. Hughes wearing the maid's uniform below?
Here's a corner of the grand entry hall...
And here's Mrs. Lincoln's sitting room...
Mrs. Lincoln's bedroom is below...
For contrast, here's a servant's bedroom, below:
First picture below, the Lincoln family dining room. Second picture below, the servants' dining room. (Quite a difference, no?)
I really enjoyed photographing the servants' quarters--the way the rooms were styled was very warm and comfortable. I could clearly picture "life being lived" there. First picture below: A view of the kitchen. Second picture below: The pantry.
An ancestor of the cell phone, below...
The view from the house wasn't too shabby, either! The formal gardens were covered in a blanket of snow, but look at this majestic view of the Green Mountains...
As you can see, the Hildene estate is a far cry from Abraham Lincoln's modest log cabin--and that's a grand understatement!
Thank you kindly to the wonderful staff at Hildene, who were very knowledgeable and accommodating during my visit. I'd be remiss if I didn't note on this green blog that Hildene practices land conservation and sustainability, in addition to their historic preservation. For more information on Hildene, please visit www.hildene.org.
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© 2015 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com LLC. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any of my photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.
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