Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-06
1t Blantyre and expect to spend their. sum
mers here.
Fanny Kemble's Summer Home.

~ A'ihhlSle anu 10 SpeNQ Inelr- sum-
mers here.
Fanny Kemble's Summer Home.
might fill columns by simply enumerat-
ing the picturesque palaces of the million
aires, but there are modest homes of great
er interest. An old cottage called The
Perch for twenty years was the summer
home of Fanny Kemble, the famous Eng
fish actress and her memoirs bear testi-
mony to the affection she felt for this place
and the pleasure she enjoyed here. She
came to Lenox IN 1896 and although the
puritan1cal element of the population did
not receive her kindly, she overcame their
prejudices against her profession and iden-
titled herself completely with the commu-
nifty. The clock in the old town hall was her
gift, brought from England with her own
luggage. She bought a large tract of land
and found 1t fortunate investment. She
gave Shakespea-ean readings in the town
nall almost every year for the local chari-
cses, and SO great was her fame that peo-
pie came all the way from Springfield, AL
bany and other distant towns to attend
them. She became an intimate friend of
Miss Sedgwick, the autLnress, and of Char
lotte Cushman' who, at the same time, had
cottage here that was afterward bought
by Henry Ward Beecher. The people of
Lenox showed their appreciation of Fanny
hemble's generosity by naming street in
her honor. Her cottage, The PERCH now
belongs to Mrs William Thompson of New
York
On terrace just below where Fanny
hemble lived is large white mansion
called The Mount by it's owner but the
neighbors have taken the liberty to christen
1t The House of Mirth'' because it was
quilt two years ago and has since been
occupied by Edith Wharton, the author of
months in the yea. Her husband, Ed.
ward r. Wharton, of a wealthy old Boston
family, has been coming here since his
chlldhood His mother has one of the
40 oil g., l, -
near the center of the town, surrounded
by quaint garden. On the opposite side
OF the street from Mrs. Wharton, ST. is
a similar place, an old rambling yellow
linghuysens Of New Jersey for several gen.
eratioDs. They We're among the first to
recognize and appreciate the attractions of
Lenox
Notable Literary Coterie.
While Fanny kemble was the star cot
tager of LenoN literary young man named
Hawthorne came. He had shortly before
published a novel called THE Scarlet Let
ter that had created a great sensation
rented little frame cottage on the shore Of
the lake known as Stockbridge Bowl, which
commanded one of the most picturesque
views in all this country. The tenant en-
joyed it so much that he came and came
again for several seasons. and in one Of the
rooms wrote THE House of the Seven Ga
bles." The Wonder Book and The
Blithedale Romance" as we'll as many of
the fascinating letters which have been
since published by his children
Henry James. the novelist lived here at
the same time-from 1851 to 1856; Oliver
Wendell Holmes spent those days at Pitts
field: James Russell Lowell and James T..
Fields had cottages in the neighboring
town Of Stockbridge and William Cullen
Bryant was a summer resident at Great
Darlington, thus making a notable coterie
of literary men.
Mr.. BRYANT was born in Great Darlington.
He went from there to Williams College
and after his gradua ton returned to study
law in the office of a local attorney. He
was town clerk from 1916 to 1921 and prac-
| ticed law there with indifferent success
until 1925.