American Heiress Boston History Package

Gilded Age Mansion Profile: The Mount (Lenox, MA)

The Heiress

Edith Wharton (née Jones)—New York old-money heiress, author, and tastemaker

Built

1902

Architectural Style

Neoclassical / Georgian Revival

The Vibe

A European escape nestled in the Berkshire hills, designed to escape the rigid protocols of Newport society.

 

The Architecture & Lifestyle
Tired of the ostentatious "marble palaces" built by the Vanderbilts in Newport, Edith Wharton took her considerable inheritance and literary earnings to build The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts. Modeled after Belton House in England, the estate was a living manifestation of her groundbreaking 1897 design book, The Decoration of Houses.

Wharton rejected Victorian clutter in favor of classical symmetry, flooded natural light, and Italianate gardens that seamlessly connected the indoors with nature. The house became a haven for the era's intellectual elite. On any given summer weekend, you would find Wharton holding court on the terrace with her close confidant, Henry James, drinking tea and discussing literature while footmen in formal attire glided past.

Heiress Spotlight: Isabella Stewart Gardner (“Mrs. Jack”)

• Born: April 14, 1840 (New York City)
• Died: July 17, 1924 (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Claim to Fame: The premier bohemian heiress of Boston’s Gilded Age, art collector, and creator of Fenway Court.

The Rebel of Beacon Hill
When New York heiress Isabella Stewart married the ultra-proper Boston Brahmin John "Jack" Lowell Gardner Jr., Boston society didn't quite know what hit them. "Mrs. Jack" completely refused to conform to the muted, conservative expectations of the Boston elite.

Instead of hiding her wealth behind closed shutters, Isabella spent it loudly and passionately. She traveled the world, drank beer at boxing matches, walked a pair of leashed lions down Tremont Street, and openly sat in the regular stands at baseball games wearing a headband that read, "Oh, the Red Sox!"

Her Lasting Legacy
When her father passed away, leaving her an immense inheritance, she poured it entirely into art. Guided by advisor Bernard Berenson, she acquired masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Botticelli.

To house it, she built Fenway Court—a stunning, four-story Venetian-style palazzo right in the middle of Boston. When she opened it to high society in 1903, guests were treated to champagne, donuts, and a performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, all while surrounded by ancient cloister gardens. Today, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum stands exactly as she left it, legally bound by her will never to change a single frame's placement.

19th-Century Society Column Snippets

The Afternoon Tea Verdict
"A certain chill descended upon Beacon Street this week when young Mr. Lawrence was spotted walking the Public Garden with a miss from New York. While her fortune is undeniable—stemming from her grandfather’s Manhattan real estate monopolies—the local matrons are whispering that she lacks the quiet dignity of a true Boston upbringing. One cannot buy a lineage back to the Mayflower, no matter how heavy the dowry."
— The Boston Social Register, October 1888

The Berkshire Season Begins
"The exodus from the humid shores of the North Shore to the crisp air of the Berkshires has officially commenced. Mrs. Anson Phelps Stokes hosted a dazzling lawn fete at Shadowbrook this weekend. The highlight of the afternoon was a brilliant archery tournament, though the gossip columns are far more interested in the intense, quiet conversation shared on the veranda between the young copper heiress Miss Vanderhoof and a certain impoverished European Count."
— High Society Weekly, August 1895

Gilded Boston & Colonial Splendor: Trivia Bank

Question 1: Which 17th-century governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony famously described the settlement as a 'City upon a Hill,' establishing a legacy of civic and religious leadership?

• John Winthrop (Correct Answer)

• William Bradford

• John Endecott

• Cotton Mather

Question 2: During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, which Massachusetts port city became the epicenter of the lucrative American China Trade, minting some of the nation's earliest multi-millionaires?

• Salem (Correct Answer)

• Newburyport

• Gloucester

• Nantucket

Question 3: Oliver Wendell Holmes coined the term 'Boston Brahmins' to describe the city's old-money elite. Which economic engine provided the foundational capital for many of these families?

• Textile manufacturing (Correct Answer)

• Transatlantic slave trading

• Gold and silver mining

• Railroad monopolies

 

BOSTON NICKNAMES

• Beantown

• The Hub

• The Hub of the Universe

• The Athens of America

• City upon a Hill

• Cradle of Liberty

 

FAMOUS BOSTONIANS IN MUSIC, ACTING, AND ENTERTAINMENT

Boston has produced a remarkable number of celebrated musicians, actors, and actresses whose work spans global audiences.

Notable Musicians

• Mark Wahlberg – While primarily known as an actor, Wahlberg’s early career included the rap group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, making him a notable figure in music history

• Donnie Wahlberg – Lead singer of the rock band New Kids on the Block, born in Boston

• Coi Leray – Contemporary R&B/hip-hop artist and singer, born in Boston

• Bobby Brown – R&B singer and former New Jack Swing star, born in Boston

• Aerosmith – Legendary rock band with deep Boston ties

• Dream Theater – was originally formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts by John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), and Mike Portnoy (drums) while attending Berklee College of Music

Famous Actors and Actresses

• Matt Damon – Oscar-winning actor and screenwriter (Good Will Hunting, The Martian, Oppenheimer), born in Cambridge, MA

• Ben Affleck – Academy Award-winning actor and director (Good Will Hunting, Argo, Gone Girl), raised in Cambridge

• Mark Wahlberg – Boston-born actor (The Departed, The Fighter, Ted)

• Uma Thurman – Oscar-nominated actress (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill), born in Boston

• Chris Evans – Academy Award-winning actor (Captain America series), born in Boston

• Ellen Pompeo – Grey’s Anatomy star, born near Boston

• Mindy Kaling – Actress, writer, and producer (The Office, The Mindy Project), born in Cambridge

• Jeremy Strong – Emmy-winning actor (Succession), born in Boston

• Rob Delaney – Actor, comedian, and writer (Catastrophe, Hobbs & Shaw), born in Boston

Other Notable Bostonians in Entertainment

• John Krasinski – Actor, director, and producer (The Big Bang Theory), born in Boston

• Eli Roth – Horror film director, producer, and actor (Hostel, Cabin Fever), born near Boston

SPORTS TEAMS

• Boston Bruins

• Boston Celtics

• Boston Red Sox

• New England Patriots

MOVIES AND TV SHOWS

• Boston Blue

• Cheers

• Crossing Jordan

• Sabrina: The Teenage Witch

• The Practice

• Ally McBeal

• Wings

• Spenser: for Hire

• Leverage

• Boston Common

• Boston Legal

• MOVIES

• The Departed

• Mystic River

• Good Will hunting