The Mount
PANICd#: 1062
Wharton designed and built The Mount in 1902, based on the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897), co-authored with architect Ogden Codman, Jr. This classical revival house represents the only full expression we have
2 Plunkett Street
Lenox , MA 01240
Phone: 413-551-5111
Open to the public: Unknown
Lat: 42.3358976
Lon: -73.2836554
Database Summary:
Demographic Rank: 6
History: 2
Stories: 2
Claims: 10
Evidence: 0
Resources: 0
Retrievals: 4585
Vistor Rating: 4.0
Votes: 1
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History
History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.
About the Edith Wharton House
Wharton designed and built The Mount in 1902, based on the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897), co-authored with architect Ogden Codman, Jr. This classical revival house represents the only full expression we have of Wharton's architectural interests.
Added by: sdonley on 02/02/2011
DB#:76
Source(s):
http://www.edithwharton.org/index.php?catId=7
The Mount's main house was inspired by the 17th-century Belton House in England, with additional influences from classical Italian and French architecture. Edith Wharton used the principles described in her first book, The Decoration of Houses (co-authored with Ogden Codman, Jr.), when she designed the house. She thought that good architectural expression included order, scale, and harmony. Its west (entry) elevation is three stories; on the garden side it is two stories with an opening out to a large, raised, stone terrace overlooking the grounds. The house exterior is a striking white stucco, strongly set off by black shutters, and rises from a quasi-rustic foundation of coarse field stone. Clusters of gables and white chimneys rise from the roof, which is capped with a balustrade and cupola. This main house is augmented by Georgian Revival gatehouse and stable, and a beautifully restored Lord and Burnham Greenhouse. Wharton's sometime collaborator Ogden Codman, Jr. assisted with the architectural design. Wharton's niece, Beatrix Jones Farrand, designed the kitchen garden and the drive; Farrand was the only woman of the eleven founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Edith Wharton and her husband, Edward, lived in the Mount from 1902 to 1911. After the Whartons left, the house was a private residence, a girls' dormitory for the Foxhollow School, and site of the theatre company Shakespeare & Company. It was then bought by Edith Wharton Restoration, which has restored much of the property to its original condition.
The house is situated at the high end of its grounds. The original site was 113 acres (0.46 km2) of farmland, with another 15 acres (61,000 m2) later added. The current estate size is 49.5 acres (200,000 m2). Restored gardens include an Italian walled garden, formal flower garden, alpine rock garden, lime walk, and extensive grass terraces.
Added by: sdonley on 02/02/2011
DB#:77
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mount_(Lenox,_Mas...
Stories
Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location.
Edith Wharton wrote several ghost stories during her career, drawing on her own experience with and interest in the supernatural. As a child, she claimed to be "haunted by formless horrors" and as an adult she remained sensitive to the subject, until her late twenties. Later in life she became more comfortable with the subject, and would go on to write her own ghost stories.
In 1942 The Mount became part of the Foxhollow School for Girls, and residents reported unexplained noises and experiences in the living areas of the mansion. Following the school's closure in 1976, the mansion remained vacant for several years until Shakespeare & Company used it as a dormitory and performance space. Actors reported the same unexplained sounds and sightings of figures in period dress. In early 2009, SyFy television show Ghost Hunters filmed an episode at The Mount, and over the course of three days reported audio and visual evidence of activity, such as the sounds of footsteps in an otherwise empty room, and disembodied voices.
Currently, The Mount offers 'ghost tours' on Friday nights during the summer season. Staff members give tours of the estate, including the stable and the mansion
Added by: sdonley on 02/02/2011
DB#:1051
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mount_(Lenox,_Mas...
Edith Wharton has been heralded as one of the greatest writers of her time. She wrote ghost stories and has left some very haunting literary characters for generations to enjoy. Interestingly enough, Edith Wharton has now become a possible ghost herself. The Edith Wharton Estate, called The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts could now be one of the most haunted places in America.
Edith and Teddy Wharton built The Mount in 1902 to be a writers retreat. Unfortunately, soon after, their marriage crumbled. Edith left for France and a new love interest as Teddy melted into mental instability. Edith died in France in 1937 and is buried in the American Cemetery in Versailles, France.
Paranormal activity wasn’t new to Edith. She has told stories about, as a young girl, that she felt a presence of a dark force. According to accounts, Edith said she felt “some dark indefinable menace … I could feel it behind me, upon me; and if there was any delay in the opening of the door I was seized by a choking agony of terror.”
The Mount was sold by the Whartons in 1911 less than ten years after it was built. In 1942 it would become incorporated into the Foxhollow School for Girls. It was during this time that people started reporting strange noises and sensations while they were staying in the old servant and family quarters.
The school closed its doors in 1976 and The Mount remained empty until Shakespeare & Company took over the building the early 1980’s. It is the actors that use the estate not only a theater but also a dormitory that have reported some of the most interesting ghost sightings and activity.
The paranormal activity started from the very beginning. One of the actresses in the troupe that was the first group to move in the estate warned people to not enter a room (now an office) on the top floor. This is where it is said that there were encounters with a servant girl that once lived in the room. Actors also reported apparitions, dressed in period clothing, asking them what they were doing in the home.
Some claim it is Edith Wharton herself haunting her old home saying they can hear her laugh all around the house. There is also a menacing feeling attributed to her husband Teddy as guests staying overnight have seen a figure in a hood holding them down as they sleep. A third ghost, Henry James, a friend of Edith Wharton and a fellow author, has also been claimed to been seen at The Mount.
There have been stories from Shakespeare & Company of an apparition of an “old-fashioned gentleman standing there in a tuxedo with a pocket watch” and footsteps so clear that people have opened up doors wondering who was there. Add this to the numerous odd sounds, weird feelings and strange noises and it seems you can get more than just a good show at Edith Wharton’s Estate, The Mount.
Added by: sdonley on 02/02/2011
DB#:1052
Source(s):
http://www.ghosteyes.com/edith-wharton-estate-moun...
Paranormal Claims
Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.
| Claim # | Added | Added By | Claim |
| 1333 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | Strange noises and sensations where reported in the family and the old servant quarters. |
| 1334 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | An apparition of a servant girl was reported in one of the office rooms. |
| 1335 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | Actors that occupied the building in the 80’s reported seeing apparitions, dressed in period clothing, appearing and asking them what they were doing in the building. |
| 1336 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | The sound of a woman laughing (supposedly Edith Wharton) can be heard throughout the building. |
| 1337 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | People have seen a hooded apparition hold them down while they sleep. |
| 1338 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | An apparition of Henry James has been seen at the Mount. |
| 1339 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | Strange, unexplained noises can be heard throughout the building. |
| 1340 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | People have reported having weird feelings when they walk into certain rooms. |
| 1341 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | An apparition of a man dressed in a tuxedo with a pocket watch has been spotted. |
| 1342 | 02/02/2011 | sdonley | Footsteps have been heard so loud that people have opened doors to see who is coming. |
Paranormal Evidence
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Additional Resources
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