Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 -- Mattie died 497 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2006. This was Mattie's fourth birthday party. The first birthday party of Mattie's in which we held it outside of our home. We hosted the party at the Riverbend Nature Park, with the theme of dinosaurs. Mattie had a great time with his preschool friends, and they enjoyed a nature walk together, a pretend archaeological dig in the sandbox, a meet and greet with some reptiles, a pinata and cake. 






Quote of the day: Those we love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch. ~ Jack Thorne

It was 45 degrees today, rainy and terribly windy. Nonetheless, we got in the car, drove 40 minutes into Charleston to tour the Calhoun Mansion. All I can say is WOW! I have toured many historic homes before, but this one is over the top. Mainly because the current owner still lives in the museum. Everything in the house is his, his collections! When I say he likes to collect, that would be putting it mildly. Frankly the display in each room borders on hoarding and I was so distracted by the amount in front of me that instead of focusing on the materials, I was more curious about the owner, his life, and what this collection means to him. Unfortunately the tour doesn't discuss the owner, which is a shame. The tour guide won't even use his name, so I had to do google it for more information. 

The history on the house.... George Williams, a shipping merchant, hired architect William P. Russell to design a 24,000-square-foot, 35-room manor, which cost $200,000 to build.

The house was completed in 1876, and was the first area residence with indoor plumbing. All rooms have 14-foot ceilings, ornate moldings and chandeliers with art and lighting by American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany.

After Williams died in 1903, his daughter and son-in-law, Patrick and Sara Calhoun, inherited the house. Calhoun was a grandson of John C. Calhoun, who is the country’s seventh vice president. But Calhoun mismanaged his bequest and creditors foreclosed on the house, according to Howard Stahl, the mansion’s current owner who has researched its history. Over the years the house was used as an adjunct to a hotel. But by 1972, the mansion had been condemned. Attorney Gedney Howe bought the house for $200,000 in 1976 and undertook a restoration. In 2004, Mr. Howe sold the mansion to Mr. Stahl, then a trial attorney, for $3.75 million. He decorated it with Gilded Age antiques and put a protective covenant on the property to thwart future development. The house is estimated to cost $12 million today if you were to purchase it. That is UNFURNISHED. However, with all of Stahl's collections, the house is worth billions. 

The outside of the house is stunning! The Italianate architecture captures your attention and the gardens are well manicured and inviting. You have high expectations that the interior of the house will match the outside. 

The cold did not stop us from exploring the gardens. 

I can only imagine how glorious this looks when flowers are in bloom. 

There are pathways throughout the gardens and several water features. 

It maybe hard to tell, but I was wearing four layers of clothing. I was that cold. 

One of the winged sculptures in front of the house. Who I assume is hermes. What caught my eye was that he was holding up a caduceus, sign of the medical profession.

We met our tour guide on the front porch. She did explain that this was a 24,000 square foot gilded age home. Most people back then couldn't travel to other countries. Only the rich had that luxury and to show off this wealth, they would emulate European styles within their homes. Such as the intricate wood workings one would find in Italy. This photo is actually outside the front door of the home. However, the tour guide then prepared us that this would not be an ordinary house tour. She really did not do that warning justice. 

The tour guide told us that photography was prohibited. So the photos you see here were NOT taken by me. I literally downloaded them in google images. Clearly someone took photos on a tour and here they are. I am so glad they did, because you will get a feeling for what I am talking about. However, I have to say the photos are better than actually being there. As being in the house and seeing all of these collections is overwhelming and to me it was uncomfortable. Combined with a musty odor throughout the house, made this a house tour I will never forget. 

This was the front entrance way. I can imagine it was very grand at one time when the Williams owned it. Now it is filled from floor to ceiling with things. I understand these are priceless things, not junk, but when shown altogether you as an observer become unsure as to what to focus on first, and therefore focus on nothing. 

Many of the chandeliers in the home are original and they are beautiful. Several were designed by Tiffany. 

Going up the stair case are many stuffed heads of animals. However, two of the animals on the wall were dogs and they were bronzed. When asked about this the tour guide explained that the wealthy used to bronze the head of a dead family pet to memorialize the creature. Not unlike how people used to bronze a baby shoe. 

This is the sitting room/living room. I have no idea if Mr. Stahl (the current owner) sits in this room. But it is filled with religious items, including an alter!

However, the big chandelier in the center of this photo has a cute story. It is original to the house. When Louis Tiffany visited the Williams, he brought a gift. He made them a Saki rice wine set. The Williams were devout Methodists and did not believe in alcohol consumption. So they literally asked Tiffany to take back the gift. Tiffany asked them what they would like and they suggested a chandelier. So he made the chandelier but what you can't see from this photo was that Tiffany incorporated the entire Saki rice wine set into the structure of this lighting fixture. As Tiffany did not like the notion of his gift being returned to him. 

This is the receiving room. It is the first room on the right as you enter the home. 

This was the music room. So much going on in this room. However what immediately hits you is this ostrich like structure in front of the fireplace. 

Here is a close up of what I am talking about! I am thrilled someone photographed this because I couldn't explain this without photos! It wouldn't do it justice. 

Moving onto the dining room! The owner does use this room, and just removes all of the table settings on the table. What you may not be able to see is that there are two tables in the room. There is another dining room table right near the window. 

This is a room on the second floor. Get the picture.... filled. 

After touring around the house and walking for blocks in the cold, we headed to Husk, for lunch. One of Mattie's preschool teachers told me about this restaurant. It is so popular that without a reservation you can't even get in for lunch. Fortunately I made a reservation weeks ago. 

Today, I learned about sterling silver rice beads. They are popular in Charleston. Literally it is sterling silver beads that look like kernels of rice. Rice is considered a cash crop in South Carolina history. 

The story of the rice.....
Rice arrived in the United States in 1694 when a ship sailing from the island of Madagascar, bound for England, was blown off course by a storm. It was forced to land at the colony of Charleston, South Carolina for repairs. The people there were kind to the sailors, so the captain expressed his gratitude by giving the governor of the colony a handful of rough rice grains. The grains were used by colonists for seed, and from this small amount, the people of the colony grew enough rice to supply South Carolina and other neighboring colonies. The quality of the Carolina rice was high, and the export trade with England soon developed.