History of Elm Bank
The Cheney Era
Elm Bank
Wellesley, Massachusetts
History
Elm Bank, located on a peninsula in the northernmost part of Dover, is bordered on three sides by the Charles River.
In 1996, Massachusetts Horticultural Society (MHS) entered a 99 year lease with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 36 acres at Elm Bank for its new headquarters. MHS moved its headquarters to Elm Bank in 2001, after a major investment to revitalize the landscape and buildings.
When MHS took possession of Elm Bank, it received a photograph album of the Cheney Estate from the Commonwealth.*
*Thispresentationisillustratedwithimagesfromthat album,ownedbyElizabethCheney,anownerofElmBank from1875-1905.Themajority oftheimageshereindate fromthe1890sandarefromthealbum. (MHSArchives)A fewimages,arefrom Picturesque and Architectural New England, Vol.2.Hale,D.D.,EdwardEverett,(“PNE”)and othersourcesasnoted.Halewas adistantrelativeof ElizabethCheney.
Pre Colonial Occupation of Elm Bank*
Elm Bank is bordered on three sides by the Charles River and by a woodland on its fourth side. Indigenous people were the first occupants of this land. There is evidence of their fishing, hunting, agriculture use and burial.
Elm Bank
*ThelandwasnotnamedElmBankuntil1870.
Image:Detailfrom Charles River. 1911.BostonPublicLibrary,NormanB.LeventhalMap&EducationCenter.This snipshowstheCharlesRivertakingasharpturnasitflowsthroughDoveratElmBank.Theindigenous namefortheCharlesRiverwas"Quinobequin,"meaning,meandering.TheentrancetoElmBankisvia abridgeinWellesleythatcrossestheCharlesRiverintoDover.
COLONIAL OCCUPATION
• Elm Bank was located in Dedham in the area that became the town of Dover. It was first granted to the prominent Fairbanks family in the 17th century.
• 1732: Thomas Fuller (1662 1733), a weaver, owned the property and sold 40 acres to Hezikiah Fuller.
• 1740: Colonel John Jones, Jr. (17161801) bought the property and built the first house, barn and greenhouse. During this period, the land was expanded to 72 acres and cleared for farming.
• Jones sited a 2½ story farmhouse on the site’s highest plateau and planted the first elm trees on the property.
Image: Jones Farmhouse and Barn,c.1870.
CourtesyofNatickHistoricalSociety.Doverwas incorporatedin1836.
Post Colonial Occupation
1804: Captain Israel Loring (1741 1820) bought the 102 acre property for $3,000. In 1832, he sold the property to Martin Broad for $3,600. Broad increased the acreage to 147 acres.
Image: Plan of District of Dover, Norfolk County.SurveyedbyWilliamEllis,1831.ElmBankisonthe peninsula shownas“LoringPlace.”
1870: Theodore Otis (1810 1873), a politician from Roxbury and “Gentleman Farmer,” bought the property as a summer retreat and named it Elm Bank. He resided in the old farmhouse, built additional greenhouses and raised livestock.
Image:MHSArchives: Plan of Elm Bank Farm in Dover near Wellesley Station, Boston & Albany Railroad, The Property of the Heirs of the Late Theodore Otis Esq. Prepared for the auction on September 01, 1874. Notethe drawingofthefarmhouseintheupperrightcorner.
The Cheney Era (1874 1904)
In 1874, Benjamin Pierce Cheney (1818 1895) acquired Elm Bank at auction for $10,000. Taking advantage of the setting and the natural features of the property, the Cheneys transformed the property from a gentleman’s farm into a summer retreat for relaxation, play and entertainment.
Image:MHSArchives.BridgeoverCharlesRiverenteringElmBank,c.1875.In1874,whenCheneypurchased theestate,itwas147acres.DuringtheCheneyownership,ElmBankwasincreasedto235acres.
The Cheneys
Benjamin Pierce Cheney (1818 1895)
Image:MHSArchives.YouwillfindtheSociety’s 1895MemorialtoCheneyhere.
Elizabeth Stickney Clapp Cheney (1839 1922.)
Image:MHSArchives.Youwillfind herfamily Memoir here.
The Cheneys were enthusiastic and active members of MHS, beginning in 1865. Benjamin contributed his valued business acumen while Elizabeth was an active participant in MHS’s committees and exhibitions, particularly with her award winning Chrysanthemums grown in the Elm Bank greenhouses.
Image:MHSArchives.Mrs.Cheney’sChrysanthemums,grownattheElmBankgreenhouses,displayedatthe firstFallShowatthenewHorticulturalHallonMassachusettsAvenueinBostonin1901.
The Cheneys’ Transformation of Elm Bank
Elm Bank is on a peninsula with 3 miles of frontage along the Charles River. Built on the cusp of the Gilded Age, its landscape design was informed by the natural features of the property and its inspirational views. The Cheneys adorned the property with gardens, an extensive lawn, an English wood, a golf course, bridal paths, buildings and other impressive features. They often opened five miles of trails and paths along the meadow to the public.
Image:MHSArchives.MainbridgeleavingElmBank,c.1875.Atthefarendofthebridgeisascallopedrustic fence.Unliketoday,theroaddoesnotgostraightouttoWashingtonStreet.This bridge wasreplacedin1897 bythebridgeyouseetoday.(CheneyBridge)
MHS Transactions described the Elm Bank Estate as follows:
The Estate contains about 200 acres, largely in woods and grass; twenty five or thirty acres have been thoroughly trenched and laid down into a lawn. A feature of the place is the many beautiful views. Transactions, 1895, p.293.
It is a charming place, containing several hundred acres of land nearly surrounded by the Charles River, with fine driveways through natural forests in every direction, making a carriage ride on this place much more enjoyable than on any public highway, even in the beautiful town of Wellesley Transactions 1898,p. 298.
Image:SectionofmapshowingpathwaysatElmBankduringthe BaltzellErabeforethereconfigurationbytheOlmstedFirm. Elementsofthe19 centurycirculationpatternaroundthe peninsulaareevidenttoday Atlas of the towns of Needham, Dover, Westwood, Millis and Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, WalkerLith.&Pub.Co.,cartographer, 1909. LibraryofCongress GeographyandMap Division Washington,D.C.
The Landscape
Architect John Andrews Fox’s design for the landscape and Mansion,* foreshadowed many features of the later Country Estate Era. Employing Elm Bank’s unique setting on the Charles River, he featured its stunning views, topography and vegetation to create an engaging journey along the curvilinear roadway that gradually revealed the Mansion.
*FoxmarriedElizabethCheney’ssister,Josephine,in1878.“Mansion”referstotheestatehouseonElmBankfrom 1875to1907.)
Image:MHSArchives.ViewoftheCharlesRiverlooking southfromthemainentrance.
The Charles River bordered Elm Bank on three sides. In addition to drives and paths along the river, it is likely that the Cheneys and their guests participated in water activities on this tranquil waterway.
The Charles River
Image:MHSArchives.This picturesqueviewshowsthe sharpcurveoftheCharles flowingnorthwest.
The adjacent shorelines are reflected in the Charles River.
Image:MHSArchives.ViewoftheCharlesRiverturningsharplytothenortheast.
The Bridges
the widerlandscapeanditsfeaturesareconcealed.
Image:MHSArchives.Bridge atthemainentrancetoElmBank,c.1875.thecircuitroadisevident,but
This is the c.1875 main bridge as seen from Elm Bank with a replacement of the original latticework railing. Unlike the ornamental lattice railing, this is a utilitarian, plain board and rail system.
Image:MHSArchives.Detailfromanundatedandunidentifiedphotograph,priorto1897.
In 1897, the wood railed entrance bridge was replaced with the steel and iron Cheney Bridge. This three hinged bridge is rare and one of oldest of its kind in Massachusetts. Four intricate wrought iron lamp posts sat on granite abutments. The bridge was enclosed on each side by wrought-iron railings and the family’s crest, “C,” adorned the sides.
Image:MHSArchives.Bridgeisextant.ExitfromElmBanktoWellesley.Arusticpicketfence,greenhouses andlean-totypesshedsarevisibleattheendonrightside.Otherunidentifiedstructuresarevisibleontheleft.
Lamp post as seen from the Cheney Bridge Deck.
Image:HistoricAmericanEngineering Record,Creator.CheneyBridge,ElmBank Estate,Wellesley,Norfolk County,MA.WellesleyNorfolkCounty Massachusetts,1968.Documentation
CompiledAfter.Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/ma1380/ The lampsareextant.
In this off-season view, the hill directly in front of the bridge and the Mansion on the left are exposed. Since he Cheneys resided at 32 Marlborough Street in Boston and Colorado Springs during the cooler seasons, exposing the view of the Mansion and other features of the landscape during this time of year would have been inconsequential.
Image:MHSArchives.ViewtotheentranceofElmBankfromthebridge.Duringthewarmermonthsthe hedgesandtreesalongtheroadattheendwouldfiltertheviewtotheMansion.
Bridge, reflected in the Charles River, as seen from the roadway on Elm Bank.
Image:MHSArchives.
View of the bridge in spring from Elm Bank looking toward the entrance. A roof of an unidentified structure is evident on the right.
MHSArchives.Cheneyemblem,“C,”seeninthecenterofthespan.
Image:
This wooden bridge was on the “Indian Boundary,” a road that ran between the east and left banks of the Charles River on the property’s southern border. It crossed the Old Ford Road.
Image:PNE.
The Roadways
The circular primary entrance road was lined with elms and ran alongside the Charles River, seen on the left. The roadway landscape was highly manicured with lawn, trees and shrubs. Cheney Bridge is seen in the background.
Image:MHSArchives.Therewere20milesofroadwaysandpathsontheEstate.
Same perspective of the roadway showing the elms without foliage.
Image:MHSArchives.
Main roadway with the Charles River on the left and a narrow road on the right, likely a service road for the Mansion.
Image:MHSArchives.
This roadway was in the interior of the property. It was lined with elms and also highly maintained. The hedge that ran throughout the landscape is seen in the background.
Image:MHSArchives. Theseelmtreeshaveringsaroundtheirtrunks.WhiletheDutchelmdiseasedidnotarrivein theUnitedStatesuntilthe1930s,amajorgypsymothinfestationafflictedmanyornamentaltreesinthe1890s.One methodofattackwastobandthetreestopreventfemalemothsfromascendingthetrees.Thistreatmentis seeninmanyoftheseimages.MHS Transactions,1894,p.143.
Young, tall evergreens created a long hedge along this interior roadway. Narrow pathways are on both sides of the roadway. The destination of these paths is hidden from view, a common design device.
MHSArchives.
Image:
The “Indian Boundary.” This rustic roadway ran on the south side of the property between the right and left banks of the Charles River. Along this boundary of the estate, bridle trails ran through the English woods. It is claimed that near the property line there is “a stone marking the grave of an Indian.”
Image:MHSArchives.
Unidentified path through the woodland. There were many paths through the woodland at Elm Bank for walking, carriage rides and horseback riding.
be200acres.
Image:MHSArchives.ThewoodlandatElmBankwerereportedto
The Mansion and its Gardens
John A. Fox is considered the “Father of Stick Style” architecture. He designed the Cheneys’ Queen Anne Victorian Mansion (1875) on the site of the former farmhouse, amongst the five existing elms.*
*Whilelegendclaimstheseelmswereplantedbyindigenouspeopletwocenturiesearlier,thesizeofthetreesdoes notsupportthatassertion.Further,thereisevidencethattheelmswerelikelyplantedbyapriorowner,ColonelJohn Jones,inthe18 century.
Image:MHSArchives.Curvingroadways,topographyandvegetationcreatedascenicandleisurelyjourney throughthelandscapethatgraduallyunveiledtheMansion.TheMansion,sitedonthehighestpointonthe peninsula,affordedaviewfromeverywindowovertheestateandtheCharlesRiver.
Another view of the Mansion is presented as the visitor approaches.
MHSArchives.Notethelowerbarkoftheelmsappearstobepaintedandbanded.
Image:
The Mansion’s façade is fully revealed upon arrival.
Image:MHSArchives.
Front façade and tower of the Mansion is seen through the bare limbs of the existing elms.
Image:MHSArchives.Theseelmswereacharacterdefiningfeatureoftheestate.Theelms surroundedtheJonesfarmhouseandtheirretentionreflectthetrees’associationwiththesite’shistory.
This is an early view of the Mansion. Building and landscape features seen in later images are missing. The wraparound deck was reconfigured and the outbuildings on the right were replaced by a hedge.
Image:CourtesyofNatickHistoricalSociety.Dateunknown.
View of the tower side of the Mansion.
Image: MHSArchives.
This side of the Mansion overlooks the acclaimed Tapestry Garden.
Image:MHSArchives.AlterationstotheporchandwindowsareevidentonthissideoftheMansion.Plants havebeenaddedtothefoundation.
View of the Tapestry Garden from the Mansion.
Image:MHSArchives.NatickHillsareseeninthedistance.
The Tapestry Garden with the Mansion in the background.
MHSArchives.
Image:
Close up of the Tapestry Garden.
Image:MHSArchives.
At the rear of the Mansion, a large lawn* on the south terminated with a view of the woodland. The Natick Hills are seen in the distance.
*Contemporaryreportsofthesizeoflawnandother featuresontheestatevariedwidely.Therewereestimates that thelawnrangedfrom16to50acres.MHS’Transactionsreportedthelawnasbeing25 30acres.Someofthis discrepancyislikelyduetoalterationsinthelandscapeaswellastheintroductionsofnewfeatures,suchasthe estategolfcoursethatranforamilealongthelawn. Image:MHSArchives.
An extraordinary feature of the estate was the crisply cut arborvitae hedge* that began at the Mansion and traversed ¾ of a mile through the landscape. The beginning of the long hedge is seen on the right.
*TheonlyextantremnantofthishedgeisapartofthebeechhedgethatenclosestheItalianateGardenthatwasfirst establishedonthesouthfaçadeoftheBaltzellManor,c.1907,andredesignedbytheOlmstedfirmin1926
Image:MHSArchives.
The hedge began at the Mansion’s rear and traversed the landscape.
Image: PNE.
This view shows the hedge meandering through the great lawn and how it was used to conceal or accentuate other features of the landscape that would invite exploration..
Image:MHSArchives.TheMansionseeninthedistanceissetonahill,overlookingthegreatlawnandhedge.
This view is from the Mansion’s dining room. A garden is seen behind the hedge.
Image: PNE.
The view over the lawn to the woodland in the background, reveals that the woodland was highly managed and populated with many ornamental trees.
Notetheshadowofphotographerinforegroundonlowerleft.
Image:MHSArchives.
View across lawn to the Mansion on the left and greenhouses on the right, partially hidden by the hedge that ran from the rear of the Mansion.
Image:MHSArchives.
Closeup of the greenhouses where Mrs. Cheney and her gardener, John Barr, grew her prize-winning Chrysanthemums and other plants. The Closely sheared arborvitae hedge encloses the buildings.
Image:MHSArchives.TheChrysanthemumgreenhousewas100’long.Afernconservatoryoccupiedanother greenhouse.
The Cow Pasture was on several acres in the center of the estate.
Image:PNE. Accordingtothe1894Assessor’sreport,theestatehadfivehorses,fivecows,tenswine,one muleandthirty eightfowl.
The Golden Meadow was a treasured feature of the estate. Located on the east at an extreme bend in the river, it was created by filling in a swamp and planting wavy grasses, accented by seasonal wildflowers. It was bounded on three sides by the river and on the fourth by a willow hedge, driveway and woodland.
Image:PNE.
Image:PNE.ThosebuildingsareextantattheGardensatElmBankandarenotopentothe public.The1894Assessor’sreport liststhatElmBankalsohadeightcarriages,astable,a carriagehouse,abarn,greenhousesandastoragebarninadditiontotheMansionandthe staffresidences.
In 1875, two small residences were built on the estate for the Superintendent and Head Gardener. This is the “Farm House.”
In 1905, Elizabeth Cheney moved to her Peterborough New Hampshire estate and transferred Elm Bank to her daughter, Alice Steele Cheney. She converted Elm Bank to a yearround residence and public access to the estate ceased.
Shortly after Alice’s marriage to William Hewson Baltzell in 1907, the Mansion was razed, the present-day Manor was built, and a new layer was added to Elm Bank’s landscape that respected many of the character designing features of its 19 century design.
Image:MHSArchives.AerialShotof"ElmBank"TheW.H.BaltzellEstate,Wellesley,MA(JOB#6058.)Olmsted Archives,NationalParksService.(undated,likely1930s)
Selected References:
PhotographAlbum:ElmBank,c.1899,MHSArchives.
Hayward,AllysonM.“Elm Bank The Evolution of a Country Estate in Dover, Massachusetts.” Journal of the New England Garden History Society,MassachusettsHorticulturalSociety,2000:p.22 30.
Hale, D.D., Edward Everett. Picturesque and Architectural New England: Picturesque Massachusetts Vol. 2. (Boston: D. H. Hurd, 1899, p.72 80.
MHSpublishedElizabethClappCheney’spersonal Memoir here.
