Great American Authoresses Write from More or Less Stately Mansions and Estates

Good morning, Live Better than a Billionaire-a-Holics!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so. I know that I am!

Yesterday, I had an unexpected treat. I made my first visit to Edith Wharton's home, The Mount, in Lenox, Massachusetts. The Mount was designed and built by Ms. Wharton in 1902 when she was 40. The Mount was her getaway from the swirling New York Society at Newport, and was designed to be comfortable for 5-6 people. Ms. Wharton lived there in luxury with her husband, eight servants and dogs during the late spring through the early fall until 1911 when they divorced, and she removed herself to France for the rest of her life. Of her many books, Ethan Frome was the best known that was written at The Mount.

Self-taught, Ms. Wharton had a life-long interest in architecture and interior decoration. Her first book was called The Decoration of Houses and was co-authored by Ogden Codman. Her theme was a return to symmetry, harmony and simplicity. You will find her home and extensive gardens (which she also designed) to be a delight to the eye . . . especially compared to many Victorian monstrosities.

The Mount was important to her. As she wrote in 1934, "The Mount was my first real home, and its blessed influence still lives in me."

The Mount is open daily from May through October (9-5). Admission is $18 for adults, $9 for students with ID's and children under 12 are free if accompanied by an adult.

For more information, visit www.EdithWharton.org

While The Mount lacks the opulence of Newport, it sizzles with style and intelligence. Restoration efforts are well along. Two floors are pretty much back to the original condition and are decorated now in a contemporary style. In coming years, the decor will be restored to items from Ms. Wharton's period. Half of her books are expected to be acquired soon and placed in her fine library. Be sure to take time to enjoy her beautiful gardens. They reflect the best of the classic French style but done in the fashion of an English country home.

Inspired by that experience, I thought you might also want to consider some other homes of famous American women writers. Did you know that only about 5% of the historic places in the National Register relate to women? We'll reverse that preference for men today and focus on the many jewels of women authors' homes that you can visit.

I like to visit authors' homes because I find them to be rich in intellectual and cultural content, and I always gain perspective on their writing that I wouldn't otherwise have had.

One of my favorite homes isn't an estate or a mansion . . . just a modest schoolteacher's abode -- Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts. This was the childhood home of Louisa May Alcott, author of many classics including Little Women. While in the house, you will feel like Little Women has come to life. One of my favorite features of the house is the collection of the costumes that Ms. Alcott and her sisters used to put on their plays for the family . . . plays that became part of the themes for Ms. Alcott's novels. Orchard House is located near all of the exciting sites related to the American Revolution and other literary sites like Walden Pond, so be sure to check out the neighborhood when you visit there.

Orchard House is open year round except for a few holidays and the first half of January. For more information (and to check on tour times) see http://www.louisamayalcott.org/. Tour tickets are limited and sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

No visit to Massachusetts would be complete with making the pilgrimage to see Emily Dickinson's modest home in Amherst where she reclusively developed her mentally drawn world through her spell-binding poetry. The Belle of Amherst's home will delight you when you visit from March through December. There is no admission charge, but reservations are recommended. See http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/pwwmh/ma40.htm for more details.

If you continue south from Amherst, you will soon find yourself in Hartford, Connecticut where you can also visit the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book that helped cause a civil war. This home is open year around except on most Mondays and the admission cost is moderate. For more information, visit http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/. While you are in the neighborhood, you may also wish to visit Mark Twain's sumptuous Hartford mansion.

Closer to New York City, you can see Ida Tarbell's house in Easton, Connecticut. Ms. Tarbell wrote the classic expose of bad practices by big companies when she authored The History of the Standard Oil Company. For more information on this home, see http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2159&ResourceType=Building

Heading south, you will have a surprise if you stop by Hillsboro, West Virginia. Pearl S. Buck of Good Earth fame wasn't born in China as many suppose (and as her obituary stated) but in this small town where you can visit her birthplace. Go to http://www.pearlsbuckbirthplace.com/ for more details.

By the time you reach Atlanta, you're in for a surprise. Margaret Mitchell didn't live in anything resembling Tara when she wrote the blockbuster, Gone with the Wind. Instead, she and her husband lived in apartment 1 of a converted mansion. You can visit that mansion today and learn more about her and Gone with the Wind. It's right in the downtown area and you can find out more about the details at http://www.gwtw.org/

You should also journey to Red Cloud, Nebraska where you can see Willa Cather's childhood home and revel in local sites from My Antonia. For many helpful sources of advice, go to http://www.willacather.org/historicsites.htm You may also enjoy seeing her Virginia home and photographs are available at http://www.womenwriters.net/domesticgoddess/catherhome.html

If your travels take you to Maui in Hawaii, you should check out the restoration efforts on the home of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the latter one of our most famous female authors. Perhaps your attention will help lead to the completion of these efforts. For more information go to http://www.kipahulu.org/news_mauinews_050103.html

I'm sure I've missed some of your favorite historical homes of great writers among American Women. Please make a comment and I'll add that information to this entry.

Tomorrow, I'll give you an update on how to enjoy the football season better than a billionaire on five dollars extra a day.

On Sunday, I will explore the spiritual joy and meaning of selflessly serving others.

Monday, we'll explore ways that you can find new estates and mansions to visit that you have never seen before.

Tuesday, I will describe how you can organize an ideal trip to the western United States to see the best sights and sites that most others miss.

Wednesday, we'll explore how you can enjoy foreign travel without spending much money.

Thursday, I'll look at providing child care for your family that's both great quality and affordable.

Next Friday, I will discuss ways you can use books from the library to improve the quality of your life.

Next Saturday, we'll take a walk together to look into the easiest, cheapest ways to enjoy healthy exercise.

Next Sunday, I'll look at the spiritual benefits of weight control.

Please feel free to let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

If you are new to this blog, be sure to check out the updated table of contents entry that was posted on August 17. It will help you find earlier entries that may be of interest. I'll update this table of contents every week or so for your convenience.

August 17 was the most frequently read blog entry to date. Be sure to check it out!

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If you are visiting today because someone invited you, I'm delighted to meet you! Let's stay in touch.

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell