Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2008. Mattie's cousins were visiting and I think what is noteworthy is the nature of children. We were in a two by four of a hospital room. There was stuff all around us, a large IV pole, all sorts of unit noise, people coming in and out of the our room, and they managed this beautifully. They were focused on engaging and interacting with Mattie. We had many visits from people through our 14 month journey, and truly everyone handled coming into the PICU differently. Though my focus was first and foremost on Mattie, in many ways I also tried to help those visiting us, as being in a PICU was upsetting and overwhelming to many. 


Quote of the day: Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings. ~ Elie Weisel

Today we went to visit the Eustis Estate in Milton, MA. I have to say this was a very different sort of historical house experience. As the visit is all self guided. In addition, visitors are welcome to sit on the furniture and truly visit, as if you were coming to a friend's home. Within each room, was a large iPad, which provided visitors information in a visually pleasing way. 

On November 7, 1876, twenty-five-year-old Edith Hemenway married twenty-six-year-old W.E.C. Eustis. A year later Edith gave birth to twin sons Frederic and Augustus. Shortly thereafter the couple began to build their family home on land given to them by Edith’s mother, Mary Hemenway. W.E.C. and Edith had a daughter, Mary, in 1885. The family lived on the estate for the rest of their lives.

Mrs. Hemenway owned the large estate to the south of this site, and W.E.C. Eustis’s family lived to the north. The Eustis mansion was the first building constructed on the property in 1878, and was designed by preeminent architect William Ralph Emerson. The property originally comprised more than 250 acres of fields, woodland, and gardens, with four original buildings built between 1878 and 1902. Two subsequent Eustis generations lived at the estate until it was sold to Historic New England in 2012.

Designed by renowned Boston architect William Ralph Emerson and built in 1878, the Eustis Estate sits on eighty acres of picturesque landscape at the base of the Blue Hills. Full of stunning, intact architectural and design details, the Eustis Estate is a historic site unlike any other in the Greater Boston area.

When the Eustis Estate was built in the late 1870s, the “living hall” was a relatively new concept. Architect William Ralph Emerson was a key proponent of this large and inviting space. He included the design feature in nearly all of his house plans. The living hall was more than just a space that connected rooms; it was a vital part of the house and a central part of daily life.

The living hall was also among the first impressions visitors had of the young couple’s home. Guests entered through the vestibule, where they encountered a pair of dramatic stained glass windows, colorful yet obscuring the view into the hall beyond. Once inside the hall, visitors were impressed by the imposing fireplace of molded terra cotta set behind an arch covered in gold leaf. The richly carved staircase soaring three stories anchored the other side of the room.

The grand fireplace in the hall is made of both terra cotta and wood. The surround is made of molded terra cotta and reads “In Sun and Rain God’s Blessing Comes.” The floor tiles are also terra cotta. Both were manufactured by the Lewis & Lane firm in South Boston.

The large parlor was the main living room for the Eustis family and a space to receive and entertain guests. The intricately carved fireplace with windows on either side is the focal point of the room. The hearth is outfitted with a radiant heating system in the floor that warms the tiles from below. When Historic New England acquired the property, the walls of this room were white. Photographic evidence and microscopic paint analysis led to the discovery of the dramatic cloud-like wall treatment one layer beneath. A surprising restoration technique brought the walls back to their original appearance.

A tiny writing desk tucked into the corner of the fireplace alcove appears to be a cabinet. It opens, however, to reveal a fabric desktop with small cubbies to store writing materials and correspondence.

The Eustis family ate all their meals in this room. Dinner required formal dress and consisted of defined courses, which was typical for wealthy families. The setting was more relaxed during breakfast and lunch. The food was served by a waitress, a term that refers to female servants who served meals in the dining room.

The library, perched over the porte cochère, was the private space of W.E.C. Eustis. It housed a large collection of books and souvenirs from his travels and served as his home office, where he managed his personal affairs.

W.E.C. graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1871. He completed a second degree in science two years later. While in school, Eustis was a member of the Harvard Nines baseball team and played a total of 101 games during his time there.

Peter and me in front of the Estate! A beautifully large beech tree greets you at the entrance. 

Peter with his parents. 

On the second floor of the house, they had a special collection. This was called, 'From One Seed." This one caught my attention, as the metal frame looked like an apple and the person in the center is like a seed. I could see a biblical interpretation too, such as Adam and Eve. 

Not that I think this is ecstatically pleasing. It is more intriguing! As all the colorful strips are newspaper plastic covers! 

The large chair situated along the staircase to the third floor was known to the Eustis family as the “twin seat.” This unusual piece of furniture was commissioned by Mary Hemenway, Edith Eustis’s mother, as a comfortable place for her to read to her grandchildren. Although it was originally located in Mary Hemenway’s Beacon Hill mansion, it was brought here after her death in 1894.

The tiles surrounding the fireplace of the day nursery feature nursery rhymes and fairy tales, a common theme for children’s rooms in the 19th century. Their origin is a bit of a mystery because there is no signature on the front and no extra tiles were found to examine the back for a maker’s mark. It is likely that they are hand-painted (rather than mass produced transfer-ware like the night nursery tiles) and could have been done locally or even by a family member.

For lunch we went to the Tavern at Granite Links. In Quincy, MA there is a lovely golf course that has a tavern overlooking the city. The docent at the Estate told us about this restaurant, and it was a great find.