Wistariahurst House Museum c 1868 Holyoke MA From Tragedy to Triumph History Bites New England

Located in the city of Holyoke, about 90 miles west of Boston, is Wisteriahurst, the former home of the silk tycoon William Skinner. Built in 1868, this 26-room mansion was moved from its original location in nearby Williamsburg, Massachusetts to its present location following a devastating flood. The Skinner home was constructed across the road from Skinner's silk mill on the Mill River. In 1874, the Mill River Reservoir Dam burst, and the floodwaters destroyed four mill villages, including the one around Skinner's silk mill, known as Skinnerville. The flood would also claim 139 victims, though only four were Skinnerville residents. None were silk workers, who all evacuated the mill after being warned to, quote, run for the hills just moments before the disaster. Following the flood, the only standing remnant of the 400-foot-long brick brassworks was this small portion at the upstream end of the river. Skinner's home was spared, but his business was gone. The city of Holyoke, with its newly constructed dam and canals, enticed Skinner to rebuild his mill alongside the canal by offering his business a free land lease for five years, and also land on which to build a house for one dollar. Skinner had his home dismantled, transported by railroad cars, and rebuilt where it stands today. Wisteriahurst is named after the wisteria vines planted in the 1880s by Sarah Skinner, Williams' second wife. In its heyday, the wisteria vines covered all three stories of the home, making for an unusual sight. When William Skinner moved his family and business to Holyoke in 1874, it consisted of two daughters from his first marriage to Nancy Warner, along with his second wife, Sarah Elizabeth Allen Skinner, and their five children. Wisteriahurst is owned and managed by the city of Holyoke. Seen are portraits of Skinner family sisters, who are instrumental in establishing Wisteriahurst as a house museum. Katherine donated the house to the city of Holyoke in 1959 for cultural and educational purposes. Bell was responsible for major renovations to the house over many years, especially during the early 20th century. William Skinner's wife, Sarah, wanted a floating staircase. The iron along the stairs is shaped into peonies, which slowly open as you get to the top of the stairs. Originally William Skinner's bedroom, this room was redesigned by his daughter Bell during her renovation, adding the great hall. The leather on the walls consists of a series of Spanish leather panels embossed with a floral design, hand-painted and gilded. According to the house museum, Baldwin Brothers of New York supplied and installed the wall coverings for about $2,100. Today, replacement costs would be more than $50,000. The Skinner's wealth afforded them the luxury of having the finest craftsmanship and design integrated throughout their home. The red velvet couch was purchased at a 1907 auction of renowned architect and style setter Stanford White by William C. Skinner and Bell Skinner. White was murdered in what was dubbed the scandal of the century by Henry Thaw in a jealous rage over the glamorous model in style at Evelyn Nesbitt. Above the library fireplace is a portrait of a young William Skinner. A native of England, Skinner emigrated to the United States as a young man in 1845. At the time, the United States manufactured little silk with most of the country's supply coming from overseas. Skinner, who received some training in the silk industry in England, would establish in the 1850s his own silk mill along the Mill River in Williamsburg in a village that came to be known as Skinnerville. The company prospered under Skinner's leadership according to Derek Strahan writing in the online Lost New England and by the early 1870s, it had become one of the country's leading producers of silk. Then came the Mill River flood. In 1848, Nancy married William Skinner, later the partner of her elder brother Joseph Warner, in the silk industry. They had two children before Nancy died in 1854 at the home of her sister in Ware, Massachusetts. A portrait of Bell Skinner is displayed above the dining room fireplace. Much of the house as one sees it today, notes the house museum, reflects the style and taste of Bell. Following the death of her parents, the property was deeded to Bell and her brother William, both of whom were unmarried, and it was Bell who implemented interior designs and renovations such as the Great Hall in Marble Lobby as formal entertaining spaces. Also known as the Conservatory, this room was a space in which members of the family would take breakfast but would also act as a buffer between the kitchen and dining room in the adjacent music room which housed Bell Skinner's collection of musical instruments. This room features a cork floor which is flame retardant. The house museum is unsure of the artist responsible for the peacock window but it is rumored that it was created by Tiffany as the company did work on Bell Skinner's New York City apartment. In 1913, Bell built this space for her growing antique musical instrument collection. It was also used to host live musical performances with the musicians situated on the balcony. This is the music room as it appeared with Bell's collection of musical instruments prior to their donation to become the Yale University collection of musical instruments. Today, in keeping with Bell Skinner's vision, Wisteria Hearst continues to host a wide range of events from the music room. This second floor room was designed by Bell for Robert Stuart Kilbourn Jr., the son of Bell's sister Catherine Skinner Kilbourn and the grandson of William Skinner. Stuart's move to Wisteria Hearst was prompted by his marriage in 1925 to Barbara Briggs while he was attending university. The marriage broke school policy, thus forcing Stuart's exit. Bell Skinner would then extend the invitation to Stuart and his wife. William Skinner's losses due to the Mill River flood amounted to nearly $200,000, almost $4.5 million today, and none of it was covered by insurance. William Skinner faced potential financial ruin, but he was determined to rebuild. Indeed, according to Derek Strahan, by the end of 1874, he was once again producing silk, with his company regaining prominence within the American silk industry. Skinner's sons, William and Joseph, joined the company in 1883, and the name was changed to William Skinner and Sons. The elder William died in 1902, and his son subsequently took over the management of the company. By 1911, Skinner and Sons owned a mill that was 1,000 feet in length and was reportedly the largest silk mill in the world. An article in the May 1912 issue of Silk Magazine describes the building as an absolutely modern mill in every respect. The latest devices for weaving and all processes of textile manufacture having been installed. The Skinner Company, notes Strahan, would continue to be a leading silk producer throughout the first half of the 20th century. By the time this photo was taken, America was in the midst of the Great Depression, but the Skinner Mills continued production throughout this time. Both this photo and the following two were taken by Lewis Hine, who, several decades earlier, had traveled around the country to document child labor conditions in factories. Child labor was no longer as great an issue by the 1930s, thanks in part to Hines' efforts, Strahan adds, but he again traveled to industrial centers, such as Holyoke, where he showed the effects of the Great Depression. Domestic help played an essential role in the day-to-day operations at Wisteriahurst. Hulda Clem worked for the Skinner family as a nurse and housekeeper for 46 years. A graduate of the Holyoke Hospital School of Nursing, class of 1895, Clem was hired by the Skinners around 1904 to work as a trained nurse. Before 1930, wealthy families commonly hired trained nurses to attend the ill and elderly in their homes. The House Museum notes that a trained nurse commanded respect and was given a high level of responsibility because she was a professional. The nurse would always wear the cap of her nursing school. Born in Germany in 1869, Clem was originally hired to care for Sarah Skinner during a long illness in the last years of her life. She eventually became housekeeper and managed Wisteriahurst until her death in 1950. Catherine Skinner Kilbourne wrote of her, my family and children were her whole life. She was faithful unto death. Tony Boski worked as a gardener at Wisteriahurst from 1929 to 1946. Born Anthony Niedbalski in Poland, Boski was hired by the Skinners to supervise the mansion's gardens. Having received training at Smith College, Boski worked for the Skinners six days a week and maintained both the formal garden and a victory vegetable garden during World War II. In 1946, Boski fell tragically to his death while trimming a tree on the perimeter of the grounds. His family recalls that Boski asked to be buried with seeds from Wisteriahurst in his pocket. This was originally the bedroom of Bell's mother, Sarah Skinner, but became Bell's room upon her mother's passing in 1908. In 1902, Bell and her sister Catherine established the Skinner Coffee House in honor of their late father. The coffee house hosted women working in the Skinner mills for social services and educational activities. In 1931, Bell's brother William memorialized his sister with the construction of the Skinner Hall of Music at Vassar College, Bell's alma mater. Posthumously, Bell has been described by the American Musical Instruments Society as a pioneer American instrument collector.