Hildene

One of the lesser-known treasures in Vermont is Hildene, the historic summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln in Manchester:

Robert Todd Lincoln was the only child of President Abraham Lincoln to survive to adulthood. He was a successful lawyer and businessman associated with the Pullman Company in Chicago. He also served as Secretary of War under Presidents Garfield and Arthur (1881-1885) and ambassador to Britain under President Harrison (1889-1893).

The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was famous for manufacturing sleeper railroad cars. Mr. Pullman hired Robert Todd Lincoln as general counsel, and Mr. Lincoln became president after Mr. Pullman's death. Much company business was conducted at Hildene. Financial reports from the company are on display there.

Robert Todd Lincoln died at Hildene in 1926. His descendants lived there until the last one died in 1975. The site is now beautifully maintained by the Friends of Hildene. In the back of the house is a formal garden laid out in the style of a stained-glass cathedral window:

There are no overnight accommodations at Hildene, but they do host corporate dinners and weddings. Nancy, Emily and I visited on July 3rd. What a beautiful day for a wedding! The photo above shows the setup for a wedding reception in the formal garden. (The setup for the actual wedding ceremony, not shown, was at the other end of the formal garden.) Elsewhere on the property, they were setting up for a rehearsal dinner for a different wedding to be held the following day.

The docents at Hildene helpfully explained much about the property including the contents of the house. We listened to music on the 1000-pipe Aeolian player organ. A young man talked to us about the many books there, which he had catalogued, including the complete works of William Shakespeare and folios of all of the works in the Louvre. One of the things discovered in the house when it was restored was Robert Todd Lincoln's notes from when he had his mother, Mary Todd Lincoln, committed to a psychiatric asylum. One room in the house was set up museum-style to showcase President Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.

Robert Todd Lincoln was an avid amateur astronomer, and the estate included an observatory with a 6-inch refracting telescope which we were told is still occasionally used. Mr. Lincoln also maintained a farm at Hildene. Major changes have recently been made to the farm, but that deserves its own post.