, 1885-02-25
THE WIDOWS PALACE.
MRS. MARK HOPKINS AND HER NEW
HOUSE AT GREAT HARRINGTON.
The Poasessor Of $780, 900. ooo-Lsaving a
Million Dollar Residence In California
to Lss IN L Finer One In nIa.-
aachusetss-


sachusetts-
New York World.l
A paragraph was published soma days ago
I'm which it wns said that Mrs. Mark Hop
kins, OF California, had determined to build
n IS. OJJ. 900 residence at Great harrington,
Mas. Previous 10 that the Boston papers
had published the report that tha house was
TO cost only one-ffth that sum AMI the
third and last report Is that the amount
to be expended Is only sou, 00U. 1t Is
true. indeed, that Mrs Hopkins is going to
build a reaidence at Great Darlington
1t is Furthermore true that it is 70 DO a very
expensive one-the most expensive probably
in Massachusetts, or even New England. 1t
will not cost 30 much as 5000. 900, but 1t
will cost more than 81. 000. 900. The plans
are complstsd and have been accepted.
They now rest In the hands Of New York
architects and will not be made public for
some time. Work ON the foundation Of the
building will be commsncei the coming
spring and Mrs. Hopkins expects to see It
ready for occupancy thres years hence.
There is some interesting history woven in
and about the life Of Mrs. Mark Hopkins
She is the widow OF Mark Hopkins who was
one OF che five mon OF California who built
the Central Pacific railroad and made each
y ~ AANcAI oAtuuu Jul VI IA Anu otutTo
were Leland Stanford, C. 2. Huntington,
and the two Crockerz Hopkins was the
treasurer OF the company from its organiza-
ton in 1851 or thereabout, till his death in
1873. He left an estate that was inventoried
at SCI, 0 o.0o1.
He dol without having made a will and
without children By the common laws Mr.
Hopkins would have been entitled TO only
one-third Of the immense estate. The courts
made her the e~xecutrix. and she took poses
sion, hut the two brothers OF hor deceased
husband, Moses and Samuel, or rather Moses
and the sons Of Samuel. for the latter had
died, brought a suit against her and secured
her removal from the executorship OF the Or
tate, and an accounting of it Tn matter
was finally compromised, Moses Hopkins
AMI the son OF Samuel Hopkins being con.
tent to receive together some n, 200, 900 In
hard cash. Mr. Hopkins got the remainder,
which, as already stated, now amount. to
about S3D, O00,0 900. Thus do w9 CONS to
know who Mrs Mark Hopkins Is and how she
became so rich.
Before Marx Hopkins died he bull. the
first OF those palatial residences that have
since excited tue wonder and admiration Of
all who nave in the past ten years visited
tho city Of San Francisco. Ii was con-
structed Of wood, like all the others OF its
class, but had about 1t all the ~elaborabsness
and extravaganza Of some OF the finest
English country hou. 81. 1t was said to
have cost 81 900, 900, and at that time the
Stewart rssldence in New York city was the
only dweliing-house in America that had
cost that sum-. It was the Hopkins mansion
that made Knob Hill the fashiona BILE quar-
ter Of San Francisco. All have heard OF the
splendid residences that Governor Stanford,
James Flood and other California million
hires have since built there. Since her hus-
bands death Mrs. Hopkins has purchased
AIenlo park, Ralstonis famous country place,
and there she has settled her adopted son
James, a young man of 26. who recently
married a Miss Crittendea, OF California, a
niece of Mrs Hopkins.
Notwithstanding all these large posses
sions, not to speak Of othars on the Pacific
slope, Mrs Hopkins proposes to make hsr
home In Der husbands native town
of Great harrington, Mass. She has
always had an affection for the place and
comes there because its people and surround
ings are congenial to their tastes. During
recent years Mrs Hopkins has come here to
spend her summer. 1t was there that she
lived when q young girl, and there that she
was married When she grew rich she
added the porticoes. put colored glass in
some Of the windows and furnished It lux.
uriantly. The carpets In every room arc as
soft as down, the chairs are of antique ma
.hogany Upholstered in yellow silk plush.
Every bit of pottery, every piece of bronze,
every foot-stool, every sofa, lounge, chair,
stand, vase or Whatever it may be, bears
evidence Of having been selected with Guilt
waited taztA
The new dwelling that is to supplant the
oil will b f7S b. 143 feet and will be built
of blue dolomfts. It is a very hard stone, Of
finer GRIM than granite. and ia obtained
from a neiga oring quarry Owned by Mrs
Hopkins .iersel.. The exterior walls are to
show the stons in rough surface with cut
seam. The stables and the c~oachman's cot
tage arr already built They are OF the
same Il .loIuite t. be employed in the con
structioi of lie resi- ence and look as though
they wouil endure through all the ages to
come clnnot x We a description OF the
residences for the excellent reason that l have
not iesn ia, drawings.
The ground upon which Mrs.. Hopkins is To
build her eastle extends a hundred yards
along the principal street, and back of 1t, to
the south a little, is a level meadow valley
that runs oil along the shore OF the Housa-
tonic aud to tile foot OF the picturesque Berk-
shire hills on the other side. In the midst OF
this smooth meadow field Is an artificial
basin in which Is a fountain from which in
simmer springs a stream of water nearly a
hundred feet into the air and comes down In
q mist that is as soft as a silken veil.
Mrs. Hopkins Is a woman OF great strength
of character. She Is well fitted to care for
the vast estate left her. Both in appearance
and In mental characteristics she Is strongly
masculine. She Is Of commanding appear
ance, and one is always made to feel, when
in her presence, that she has the unmistak-
able dement's Of superiority. She Is thor
oughly acquainted with all the ways OF bust
ness, has a broad grasp Of financial ques-
tons, looks after her vast interests with the
closest minuteness, and drives a bargain with
tact and economy. Her husband was pas
sionately fond OF horses; so Is she. Her
stable at Great harrington is one of the com
pletest and most comfortable in the country.
Its inmates are of the finest breeding and
movement, and are looked after iy their
colored master with the greatest care. Dur
ing her visits to Great Darlington Mr.. Hop
kins may be seen on the afternoon OF every
fair day driving out behind a pair OF fine
t~rotters, she herself holding the reins. Shs
makes long excursions about tho surround
ing country, and every ~inhabitant, young or
old, knows her. She is the great woman OF
Great Darlington
Hun~or