Home to the Belle of Amherst
Written: Oct 24 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: beautiful houses, beautiful history
Cons: limited hours and months of the year
The Bottom Line: The two houses most significant in Emily Dickinson's life: The Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens.
|
|
|
| murasaki's Full Review: Massachusetts |
Nestled among trees and hedgerows, near the center of Amherst, Massachusetts, are the Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens, must-see landmarks for pilgrims paying tribute to Emily Dickinson and her work.
History
Emily Dickinson was born at the Dickinson Homestead in 1830. She lived all but 15 years of her life in the same house, growing more and more reclusive in her later years. She died at Dickinson Homestead in 1886 at the age of 55. Emily’s brother, William “Austin” Dickinson, married her best friend, Susan Huntington Gilbert in 1856. Austin and Emily’s father, Edward built a home, 100 yards to the west of the Dickinson Homestead, as an enticement to keep the newlyweds nearby instead of moving to the Mid-West. Austin and Susan accepted the wedding gift and named their home The Evergreens.
Emily spent many afternoons and evenings at The Evergreens, visiting with friends, playing the piano. Even after Emily became more fixed at the Homestead, she continued to send poems and correspondence to her “Sister Sue.” Over 300 of the 1800 poems attributed to Emily Dickinson were sent across the lawn to The Evergreens over the course of her life.
When Emily died, followed many years later by her sister Lavinia, their niece, Susan and Austin’s only surviving daughter, Martha, inherited the Homestead and its contents. When she sold the Homestead in 1916, she brought many of Emily’s belongings to The Evergreens and created an “Emily Room” as a shrine to her aunt and as the office where Martha worked on editing and readying Emily’s poetry for publication. In 1950 the entire contents of the room were given to Harvard University and now reside in the library there. Many of the additional letters and documents remaining in The Evergreens were given to the Brown University library.
The Dickinson Homestead was purchased by Amherst College in 1965, first used as a home but later converted entirely to a museum and historic landmark. When the owner of The Evergreens died in 1988, her will established a trust for the care of the house due to its importance in the history of the Dickinson family. The Evergreens is currently undergoing a 20-year restoration project, but is open to the public on a limited basis.
Dickinson Homestead
Since much of the furniture from Emily’s time had been removed from the Homestead before Amherst College established the house as a museum, most of the antiques come from other sources. However, several of the rooms do have copious amounts of paraphernalia associated with Emily and her work. A replica of her legendary white dress stands in one of the upstairs bedrooms (the original has grown too fragile for public viewing). Emily’s paisley shawl is draped over the antique bed in her bedroom. A basket sits on the window ledge of the same bedroom with a note explaining that Emily used to lower her gingerbread, made from a family recipe, down to children gathered outside. I did get to sample the family recipe since I attended an Open House at the Homestead rather than taking the usual tour, and the gingerbread cookies were delicious.
The Dickinson Homestead is a federal-style brick home with a perpendicular wing on the back side of the house. The main portion of the house downstairs had the obligatory hall or foyer with stairs leading up and rooms and corridors branching off to either side. One of the rooms was off-limits to visitors since the floor supports have been newly replaced and are awaiting inspection before the room will reopen to the public. The other three rooms downstairs are furnished sparsely but flow well as the guide leads onlookers through. The back wing, where the Dickinsons had their kitchen, is now the main entrance to the house where tourists can browse through postcards or gather brochures with information about the house and the poet.
The upstairs part of the house has three rooms available for public viewing, the main attraction being Emily’s bedroom in the southwest corner, overlooking the front lawn. The third story is not open to visitors.
The Evergreens
In true Victorian fashion, the rooms of The Evergreens are nearly filled to bursting with furniture, even the Emily Room which holds pieces from parts of the house not accessible to visitors. The floor plan of the house is asymmetrical, rather unusual for its time, and gives the house an interesting shape when seen from the street. Upon entering the hall, the library and the Emily Room (formerly Susan and Austin’s bedroom) open on the right. The parlor, with a wrap-around veranda, is on the left. In the back of the hall, past the stair case, is the entrance to the dining room and the kitchen beyond. Other rooms in the house on the lower floor and the upstairs are currently closed to visitors.
Susan redecorated the house in grand Victorian style in the 1880s. (The redecoration, strangely enough, came on the heels of the death of the youngest of Susan’s children and Austin’s affair with Mary Loomis Todd, wife of an Amherst College professor.) The gilt crown moldings edging the ceilings match the frames of the pictures still hung on the walls. The dark colors and furnishings, largely in the Eastlake fashion popular at the time, remain today though the chair cushions are worn and the wallpaper has peeled. The most remarkable thing about The Evergreens is how much of it remained unchanged for the 120 years after Susan picked the fabrics for the walls and the conversation pieces for the parlor. While the outside of the house has been restored to a great extent, the restoration of the interior still remains a work in progress.
Practical Matters
Both houses are located within walking distance of downtown Amherst and the Common. Metered parking is available on the street in front of both houses or for free on one of the side streets, if one can find an empty space. Free handicapped parking is available at the Homestead, but not at The Evergreens.
The Evergreens is open to the public for guided tours on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, 1-4pm, May through October. Groups must make reservations. Individuals have the option of taking a self-guided tour.
The Dickinson Homestead has guided tours Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, 1-4pm, in March, November and December; Wednesday through Saturday afternoons, 1-4pm, April through October. Reservations are not required but strongly recommended, especially on Saturdays since the tour sizes are limited.
The Dickinson Homestead costs $5 for adults, $4 for seniors/students, $3 for children and teenagers 6-18. No charge for children under 6 years old. No charge for students from any of the Five Colleges (Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and University of Massachusetts) with student ID. The Evergreens charges $5 for adults, $4 for seniors/students and $3 for children under 18.
Overall
Both houses have much to offer the Emily Dickinson pilgrim or Victorian antiques buffs. I particularly enjoyed the asymmetrical qualities of The Evergreens, and the personal touches about Emily’s life at the Homestead. If you’re ever in central Massachusetts, don’t miss these grand houses or learning about their connection to the Belle of Amherst.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
murasaki
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: here, there, everywhere
Reviews written: 176
Trusted by: 157 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.