Unique Claims to Fame: Hildene

Hildene Lincoln Family Home Manchester, Vt.

By RAY BALOGH | The Municipal

Robert Todd Lincoln’s Franklin Roadster was also used by Teddy Roosevelt as he traveled between Chicago and Milwaukee in October 1912 at the height of his campaign for U.S. president on the Bull Moose ticket. (Lee Snider/Shutterstock.com)

The preponderance of reviews from visitors of Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home, reiterate one word to describe their experience: “beautiful.”

The 24-room Georgian revival mansion, with a formal garden, observatory and 13 other historic buildings just outside Manchester, Vt., was home to Robert Todd Lincoln, the only one of the late president’s children who survived to adulthood, and his wife, Mary.

He constructed the home in 1905, and members of the Lincoln lineage lived there until 1975, when Peggy Beckwith, the last surviving descendant to live at Hildene, passed away.

She willed the property to the Church of Christ, Scientist with the stipulation the church maintain Hildene as a memorial to the Lincoln family. Shortly after the property was transferred, however, the church found the arrangement to be financial unfeasible and planned to sell Hildene to developers.

When local citizens learned of the plans, they formed the nonprofit Friends of Hildene, fought a three-year legal battle to purchase the property, negotiated an acceptable price with the church and commenced in 1978 to restore the home and gardens.

Robert (1843-1926) first visited Manchester with his mother and brother Tad in 1864 and developed an affinity for the place. He returned four decades later as president of the Pullman Company, then the nation’s largest manufacturing corporation, and purchased

LEFT: The 24-room mansion is one of 14 historic buildings on the 412-acre grounds of Hildene near Manchester, Vt. (Lee Snider/ Shutterstock.com)

the 412 acres upon which the estate, built as a summer home, is situated.

The estate’s name is derived from the Old English words “hil” (hill) and “dene” (valley with stream) and denotes the views of the Taconic Mountains to the west, Green Mountains to the east and the nearby Battenkill River flowing through the adjoining valley.

Included in the curtilage are a fully restored 1903 Pullman car; goat dairy and cheese-making facility; teaching greenhouse; composting facility; vegetable gardens; apple orchard; animal barn; 1832 schoolhouse; 12 miles of walking trails; and a 600-foot floating boardwalk on the property’s wetland. The historic carriage barn now serves as the museum store.

Over 90% of the furniture and appointments are original, and visitors can get a deeply insightful depiction of how Robert and Mary lived during their stay in the home. “The American Ideal” exhibit on the second floor features Abraham Lincoln’s Bible and stovepipe hat.

The prolific terraced Cutting and Kitchen Gardens provided the Lincoln family with a variety of vegetables, berries and fruit. Shepherded since 2002 by professional gardeners and their volunteers, the gardens yield 500 to 800 pounds of produce each year, and the Friends of Hildene have donated to the Manchester Community Food Cupboard nearly 6,000 pounds of food in the last 18 years. This year herbs were added to the gardens’ agricultural repertoire.

Reviews from visitors have been overwhelmingly positive, with 97.4% of the 1,347 reviews on www.tripadvisor.com rating the experience as excellent or very good and not a single review is posted below the average ranking.

Reviewer Annie M. succinctly feted her visit this way: “Beautiful. Spend a day or half the day. Worth every penny. View of the mountains from the garden is spectacular. The home is intriguing with the organ music. Quite modern for a home built back then.”

Lynda F. was captured by the flower garden. “Hildene is one of those remarkable hidden gems in New England,” she wrote. “When we were there, the garden was in full bloom and we could see that it had been planted to mimic a stained glass window. How cool is that?”

Several reviewers complimented the knowledgeable staff, who explained the history and features of the attraction. Others, like themontanatravelgirl, enjoyed the self-guided tours. “I really like that you could walk through the house at your own pace without a guided group.”

Weddings and receptions are a staple at Hildene and can be booked in advance through the front office.

Hildene is usually open daily year-round from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., though hours are currently abbreviated to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday due to coronavirus restrictions. The attraction is closed Easter, Thanksgiving and Dec. 24-26.

Hildene is located at 1005 Hildene Road, Manchester, Vt. For more information, call (800) 578-1788 or visit hildene.org. Robert Todd Lincoln served as president of Pullman Company, which manufactured railroad cars. (Photo provided by Friends of Hildene)

President Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat and his Bible are on display on the second floor of Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home. (Photo provided by Friends of Hildene)

One of the bedrooms of Hildene includes a child’s block set, indicating the family life of the descendants of Abraham Lincoln. (Photo provided by Friends of Hildene)