|
The Park-McCullough Historic House is one of the finest and best-preserved Victorian mansions in New England. It is a thirty-five room mansion, set on 200 acres (80 hectares) of grounds, and located off Route 67A in North Bennington, Vermont, USA.〔http://www.parkmccullough.org/〕 The house was built in 1864–65 by attorney and entrepreneur Trenor W. Park (1823–1882), who was born in nearby Woodford, Vermont but amassed his fortune overseeing the mining interests of John C. Fremont in California. It was designed by Henry Dudley, a prolific New York architect of the popular firm of Diaper and Dudley. The house cost $75,000 and the family moved in on Christmas Day, 1865. His descendants made extensive renovations to the house in 1889–90, largely in order to entertain President Benjamin Harrison who had come to town to dedicate the new Bennington Battle Monument. The Park-McCullough house is an important example of an American country house in the Second Empire Style. It also incorporates architectural features of the Romantic Revival style popular at the time. The house is now owned by a non-profit organization and is open to the public. == Family history == Trenor William Park was born outside of Bennington, Vermont in Woodford, Vermont on December 8, 1823. His family was not wealthy while he was growing up. By the age of 16, Trenor was already studying law and subsequently, was admitted to the Vermont bar at age 21. He married Governor Hiland Hall’s daughter, Laura V.S. Hall, on December 15, 1846. They had three children together: Eliza “Lizzie” Hall Park (born October 17, 1848, died 1938), Laura “Lila” or “Birdie” Hall Park (born 1858, died 1939), and Trenor “Train” Luther Park (born 1861, died 1907). Trenor, Laura and Lizzie traveled to San Francisco in 1852, following Hiland Hall who had been appointed California Land Commissioner. Trenor joined the law firm of Halleck, Peachy & Billings, but later opened a law firm of his own. He found great success in the west, managing the Mariposa mines for John C. Fremont. The family returned to North Bennington, Vermont in 1863. The Park and McCullough fortunes were made through many different ventures, including mining, banking and railroads, and other (inter)national means. Upon returning home to Vermont, construction began on the “Big House,” which it was affectionately called, between 1864 and 1865.〔( Trenor WilliamPark ) by Lewis Cass Aldrich, 1889,'' History of Bennington County, VT''〕 Trenor William Park also ran for Vice President of the United States in 1864. He was also President of the Panama Canal Railway and founded the First National Bank of North Bennington, Vermont. He left $10,000 to Harvard University. His son, Trenor Luther Park married Julia Hunt Catlin. He was a Harvard Graduate and importer of silks. He was a Commodor in the NY Yacht club and won the Roosevelt Cup. He and Julia sailed across the Atlantic 75 times as quoted by Julia. His mansion named 'Hill Crest' was built in the late 1890s in Purchase, New York, which is now the Old Oaks Country Club. They had three children, Julia (died aged 3 days), Elliot Edith (died aged 10, tragically falling through a plate glass roof in New York City) and Frances. Trenor died 6 months after losing his daughter. After his death in 1906 his wife and remaining daughter, Frances moved to a house in Paris, France, and bought the Chateau d'Annel in the north. Frances married surgeon Dr. E. Gerald Stanley whom she met at her mothers chateau in WW1 and they had 5 children. Julia was the first American woman to be awarded the Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre in France through her efforts in the first world war, turning her Chateau d'Annel into a hospital on the front line in 1917. She went on to marry Governor of New York's nephew, Chauncey Mitchell Depew, then after divorce, she married General Adolphe Emile Taufflieb. She died,in 1947, at her residence 'Villa Nevada' in Cannes. Coincidentally, it was the same residence that Queen Victoria's son, Prince Leopold, died at, in 1884. His daughter, Lizzie, married John G. McCullough on August 30, 1871. McCullough was born in 1835 in Newark, Delaware. He began a law practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later opened another office in Mariposa County, California. Together, John and Lizzie had four children, Hall Park McCullough (born 1872, died 1966), Elizabeth “Bess” McCullough Johnson (born 1873, died 1965), Ella Sallie Park McCullough (or Sister Mary Veronica, born 1874, died 1965), and Esther Morgan Park McCullough (born 1888, died 1957). He was elected governor of Vermont in 1902. In 1875, after the death of her mother, Lizzie became the caretaker of the home. Her father died in 1882, and Lizzie bought out the stake her siblings had in the home to become the sole owner along with her husband; she paid Laura and Trenor $23,333 each. After her husband’s death in 1915, Lizzie oversaw the house until she died in 1938. Even though her son, Hall Park McCullough, inherited the house, it was her daughter, Elizabeth “Bess” McCullough Johnson, who resided in the house until 1965. Following Bess’ death, John G. McCullough II (Hall Park McCullough’s son and Bess’ nephew) inherited the house in 1966. Although still alive, none of the descendants resided in the house after the death of Elizabeth "Bess" McCullough Johnson in 1965. In 1968, John G. McCullough II offered the property to the Park-McCullough House Association. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Park-McCullough Historic House」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|