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45-500: The house was built in 1864–65 by attorney and entrepreneur Trenor W. Park (1823–1882), who was born in nearby Woodford, Vermont but amassed his fortune overseeing the mining interests of John C. Fremont in California . It was designed by Henry Dudley, a prolific New York architect of the popular firm of Diaper and Dudley. The house cost $ 75,000 and the family moved in on Christmas Day, 1865. His descendants made extensive renovations to

90-476: A Congressman and Governor of Vermont . In 1851, Hall was named Chairman of the U.S. Land Commission that settled Mexican land titles after the annexation of California. He relocated to San Francisco, and Park went with him. In California, Park practiced law and was a founder of the Halleck, Peachy, Billings & Park firm. He continued to pursue business opportunities, including real estate and mining, and became

135-707: A house in Paris, France, and bought the Chateau d'Annel in the north. Frances later married surgeon E. Gerald Stanley, whom she met at her mother's chateau during World War I, and they had five children. During World War I, Julia turned the Chateau d'Annel into a hospital on the front lines. In 1917, she was the first American woman to be awarded the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre in France in honor of her wartime efforts. Julia went on to marry

180-847: A non-profit organization and is open to the public. Trenor William Park was born outside Bennington, Vermont in Woodford, Vermont on December 8, 1823. His family was not wealthy while he was growing up. By the age of 16, Trenor was already studying law and subsequently, was admitted to the Vermont bar at age 21. He married Vermont Governor Hiland Hall's daughter, Laura V.S. Hall, on December 15, 1846. They had three children together: Eliza “Lizzie” Hall Park (October 17, 1848 – 1938), Laura “Lila” or “Birdie” Hall Park (1858–1939), and Trenor “Train” Luther Park (1861–1907). Trenor, Laura, and Lizzie traveled to San Francisco in 1852, following Hiland Hall, who had been appointed California Land Commissioner. Trenor joined

225-638: A variety of businesses while also maintaining a residence in New York City. He also served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont's member of the Republican National Committee . Park was a candidate for the 1874 Republican nomination for Governor but withdrew in favor of Asahel Peck , who went on to win the general election. A noted civic activist and philanthropist, Park's donations included Bennington's public library,

270-472: A wood stove and furniture) and details similar to those in the “Big House”. What once was part of the apartment occupied by Hiland Hall and his wife is now a sitting room right above the staircase on the second floor. This renovation was made around 1889–1890. This was the first of many renovations made to the home after Lizzie and John became masters of the home. President Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) stayed at

315-466: Is quite revolutionary for the time because there was indoor plumbing, hot and cold water, and gas lighting. Because of the hazard the gas machine posed, the Park's insurance was cancelled. Only some of the fixtures were converted to electricity around 1910. Most rooms contained fireplaces which provided heat, but if that was not enough, there was a steam boiler, located in the basement, which heated air and rose to

360-646: The Rancho Las Mariposas gold mine owned by John C. Frémont . Park lost some of his investments in the Panic of 1857 , but eventually became very wealthy. Originally a Whig , at the founding of the Republican Party , Park became an active member, serving as a delegate to several state conventions. When the state party was organized in 1856, Park was selected as the first Chairman of California's Republican State Central Committee. He served until 1860, when he

405-480: The Republican National Committee and the Vermont House of Representatives . Born in Woodford, Vermont , Park studied law as a teenager, and attained admission to the bar at age 21, as soon as he was legally eligible. He practiced in Bennington until 1852. Park was also a businessman, and invested in lumbering and other ventures. In 1846 he married Laura Van Der Spiegle Hall, whose father Hiland Hall had served as

450-630: The U.S. Land Commission empowered to settle Mexican land titles after the annexation of California, and Park traveled to San Francisco with him. He practiced law successfully, soon becoming a partner in the state's leading firm, Halleck, Peachy, Billings & Park . In 1855 Park played a key role in San Francisco's political reform movement by establishing the San Francisco Bulletin newspaper. He also became active in several commercial enterprises, including real estate and mining, and managed

495-632: The Atlantic 75 times. His mansion, named "Hill Crest", was built in the late 1890s in Purchase, New York, and is now the Old Oaks Country Club. Trenor and Julia had three children: Julia (died aged 3 days), Elliot Edith (died aged 10, by falling through a plate glass roof in New York City), and Frances. Trenor died in 1907, six months after losing his daughter. After his death, Julia and Frances moved to

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540-770: The Bennington Free Library (with Seth B. Hunt), and the building and land for the Vermont Soldiers' Home (again in conjunction with the Hunt family). He also donated the University of Vermont's Park Gallery of Art, the exhibits of which were later incorporated into the university's Robert Hull Fleming Museum . Trenor Park died on December 13, 1882, while aboard the ship San Blas between New York and Aspinwall, Panama while en route to San Francisco. His funeral took place at New York City's Collegiate Reformed Church, and he

585-708: The First National Bank of North Bennington, was an original investor in the Central Vermont Railroad , and again speculated in several successful business ventures, including timber and mines. He also established a second residence in New York City. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1865 to 1869. In 1868 he was a Vermont delegate to the Republican National Convention that nominated Ulysses S. Grant for president and Schuyler Colfax for vice president. The same year, he

630-463: The bar as soon as he was legally eligible in 1844. Park began a practice in Bennington, and maintained it until 1852, also becoming active in lumbering and other business ventures. On December 15, 1846, he married Laura Van Der Spiegle Hall, the daughter of Congressman and Governor Hiland Hall . They had three children Eliza, Laura and Trenor Luther Park. In 1851 Hall was appointed Chairman of

675-497: The building and land for the Vermont Soldiers' Home, and the University of Vermont 's Park Gallery of Art, which later became part of the university's Robert Hull Fleming Museum . Park died at sea in 1882, and was buried first at Brooklyn , New York 's Green-Wood Cemetery , and later at Bennington's Old Cemetery. Trenor William Park was born in Woodford, Vermont on December 8, 1823, the son of Luther and Cynthia (Pratt) Park. Park

720-545: The changing styles of the time, the fireplaces located in the library, main and west halls were converted to wood burning. The house has two entrances, one for those who arrived by carriage (which is located on the South) and one for those that had walked to the house (located on the East). When entering the house from the South, guests are welcomed by a bust of Hiland Hall, placed on the mantle of

765-413: The death of his nine-year-old daughter Elliot, who had been killed in an accident earlier that year. Laura Hall Park (1858–1939) married Frederic Beach Jennings (1853–1920), a Bennington and New York City lawyer and businessman. They donated the site of their Vermont home to become the location of Bennington College . Esther Morgan McCullough Esther Morgan McCullough (1888 – June 14, 1957)

810-579: The eastern and western United States by moving it overland across the Isthmus of Panama . In 1881, Park sold his stock in the Panama railroad for $ 7 million (over $ 200 million in 2022). Active in civic affairs, Park was a member of the committee that oversaw design and construction of the Bennington Battle Monument, and was a trustee of the University of Vermont . His philanthropic donations included

855-457: The eventual nominee and general election winner, state Supreme Court Justice Asahel Peck . The same year, Park purchased controlling interest in the Panama Railway and was elected its president, succeeding Russell Sage . During the rest of the 1870s he engaged in a well-publicized contest with rival financier Jay Gould for control of Pacific Mail , the company that shipped cargo between

900-529: The family first moved into the house, Lizzie chose for herself the bedroom that would be hers for the entire time she lived in the house. It is located right off the master bedroom that her parents slept in, and when she married John G. McCullough, the couple continued to live in her childhood bedroom. The “Big House” boasts 14 chimneys and 35 rooms – 20 of which are bedrooms. When first built, the house contained 18 coal burning fireplaces, all of which were constructed out of Italian (not Vermont) marble. To keep up with

945-479: The fireplace. Rooms on the first floor include the Morning, Library, Music, Dining and Billiard rooms, which all have entrances to the long hallway. The lady of the house used the Morning room to meet with house staff or write letters. The Library is also known as the gentlemen's parlor, which was used as an office by Trenor Park and by John G. McCullough during his tenure as Governor. After the death of John, Lizzie changed

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990-462: The first and second floors, which was installed in 1930 by Lizzie. There is only one bedroom on the second floor that did not have access to a bathroom, and as such, a hole was cut in the wall to make a door and provide access to a bathroom on a lower floor. This bedroom was occupied at one time by Esther Morgan Park McCullough, Lizzie's daughter Part of the west wing of the house was removed around 1940. Rooms that were contained in this section included

1035-462: The first and second floors. Diaper and Dudley also designed the Carriage Barn, which was built between 1865 and 1866. It was renovated many years later to make room for automobiles, and included hardwood floors and new partitions. The Park's dog, Abe, occupied the dog house located to the east of the main entrance. It was turned into a play house in its current location, complete with a kitchen (with

1080-521: The governor of New York's nephew, Chauncey Mitchell Depew, then after a divorce, she married General Adolphe Emile Taufflieb. She died, in 1947, at her residence in Cannes, France, "Villa Nevada". Coincidentally, it was the same residence where Queen Victoria's son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany , had died in 1884. Trenor William Park's older daughter, Eliza “Lizzie” Hall Park (October 17, 1848 – 1938), married John G. McCullough on August 30, 1871. McCullough

1125-676: The home in August 1891 for the celebration of the dedication of the Bennington Battle Monument . Lizzie and John introduced the Colonial Revival architecture style to the house in 1889 in preparation for the President, when the renovations were made to the front hall. The main hall is 75 feet (23 m) long, and includes a large fireplace and inglenook bench. The parquet floor, fireplace, and inglenook bench were installed in 1891 prior to

1170-618: The home, and hosts many special events at the property. In 1972, the “Big House” was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites. The Association formally received deeds to the property in 1975 and 1984. Trenor W. Park Trenor William Park (December 8, 1823 – December 13, 1882) was an American lawyer, political figure, and businessman. He was most notable as a founder of the Republican Party in California , and for his Republican leadership roles in Vermont, including member of

1215-601: The house in 1889–90, largely in order to entertain President Benjamin Harrison who had come to town to dedicate the new Bennington Battle Monument . The Park–McCullough Historic Governor's Mansion is an important example of an American country house in the Second Empire Style. It also incorporates architectural features of the Romantic Revival style popular at the time. The house is now owned by

1260-634: The house, it was her daughter, Elizabeth “Bess” McCullough Johnson, who resided in the house until her death in 1965. None of the remaining descendants resided in the house after Bess's death. John G. McCullough II (Hall Park McCullough's son and Bess's nephew) inherited the house in 1966 and in 1968 offered the property to the Park–McCullough House Association. Trenor Park purchased the land the house sits on in North Bennington, Vermont from his father-in-law, Hiland Hall. The “Big House”

1305-674: The law firm of Halleck, Peachy & Billings , but later opened a law firm of his own. He found great success in the West, managing the Mariposa mines for John C. Fremont . The Park (and McCullough) fortunes also encompassed other international ventures, including banking and railroads. At one time Trenor served as president of the Panama Canal Railway, and he founded the First National Bank of North Bennington, Vermont. The family returned to North Bennington, Vermont in 1863. Construction began on

1350-464: The manager of John C. Frémont 's Rancho Las Mariposas gold mine. Park faced temporary financial setbacks during the Panic of 1857 , but recovered and became very wealthy. When the Republican Party was organized in the mid-1850s, Park won election as the first Chairman of the state party's Central Committee. Park returned to Vermont in 1864, and continued to practice law and pursue investments in

1395-628: The original kitchen and sections of the servants’ living area. Over time, the McCullough's changed their gardens (surrounding the grounds) around, and at one point, converted them into a tennis court . The Park–McCullough House Association, which was offered the house by John G. McCullough II, was formed in 1968. It is a non-profit charitable/membership corporation, which is governed by a Board of Trustees, and requires full and part-time employees and volunteers. The Association sponsors educational programs that are suitable for both adults and children, tours of

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1440-479: The space to another sitting room. The Music room served as a venue for visits from guests, which lasted only 20 minutes. The dining room table is thought to have been used by the McCullough's in their New York home. The room also has a smaller, circular table near the widows used for more informal meals. The billiard room contained many luxurious and high-tech gadgets, including a billiard table which reportedly cost $ 803 (made around 1875) and an elevator that ran between

1485-542: The visit from the President. The wallpaper that still covers the walls dates to that renovation. Even though many renovations have taken place over the years that the family occupied the house, the Park–McCullough house is one of the best preserved Victorian mansions in New England . It still largely retains the original design of the house, including original pieces owned and used by the family over one hundred years. When

1530-456: The winter holidays at the house. From 1865 through 1965, the house was occupied by four generations of the Hall, Park, and McCullough families. The Park family moved into the “Big House” on December 25, 1865. As the lady of the house, Laura was responsible for purchasing the furnishings in the house. The style of the house borrows from many different styles, including Second Empire and Gothic. The house

1575-623: The “Big House,” as it was affectionately called, between 1864 and 1865. Trenor William Park ran for vice-president of the United States in 1864. On his death left $ 10,000 to Harvard University. Trenor William Park's son, Trenor "Train" Luther Park (1861–1907), married Julia Hunt Catlin. He was a Harvard graduate and importer of silks. He was a commodore of the New York Yacht club and won the Roosevelt Cup in sailing. He and Julia sailed across

1620-498: Was about the effect of murder on families living on the fringes of Dublin in the 1880s, was praised by critics as a masterpiece of suspense. Her largest project was As I Pass, O Manhattan (1956), a 1200-page anthology of writing about life in New York from its earliest days that encompassed some 200 authors and ranged from poetry to biography. Hailed as a "magnificent tribute to a mighty city", this compendium of "literary New Yorkiana"

1665-552: Was an American novelist and anthologist. Esther Morgan Park McCullough was born in North Bennington, Vermont , to Eliza Hall (Park) McCullough and John G. McCullough , an attorney and future governor of Vermont. She and her siblings Hall, Eliza, and Ella were raised in their mother's family mansion, now known as the Park-McCullough Historic House . McCullough wrote novels such as Archangel House (1935) and The Five Devils of Kilmainham (1955). The latter, which

1710-414: Was an owner and promoter of the supposedly depleted Utah Emma Silver Mine . English citizens invested millions of pounds , and in 1876 and 1877 his partners and he were accused of defrauding the group that purchased the mine. Park and his associates were acquitted in a nationally publicized April 1877 trial. Park was a candidate for the 1874 Republican nomination for Governor, but withdrew in favor of

1755-564: Was born in 1835 in Newark, Delaware. He began a law practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later opened another office in Mariposa County, California. Together, Lizzie and John had four children, Hall Park McCullough (1872–1966), Elizabeth “Bess” McCullough Johnson (1873–1965), Ella Sallie Park McCullough (or Sister Mary Veronica, 1874–1965), and Esther Morgan Park McCullough (1888–1957). He

1800-684: Was buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery . Park was later re-interred at Bennington's Old Cemetery. His Bennington home, the Park-McCullough House , was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and is open to the public. Trenor Luther Park (1861–1907) studied at Harvard University and was a successful businessman, yachtsman and golfer. He was married to Julia Hunt Catlin (1864–1947) . Trenor L. Park died during surgery for an intestinal ailment, and his friends and family believed his decline had been hastened by despondence over

1845-563: Was elected as Vermont's member of the Republican National Committee, serving until 1870. In 1870 he was one of the founders of Rutland, Vermont 's Baxter National Bank, and he often continued to invest in partnership with the bank's president, Horace Henry Baxter . In 1871 Park's daughter Eliza married John G. McCullough , former Attorney General of California, who became active in several of Park's business ventures and later served as Governor of Vermont. Also in 1871, Park

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1890-437: Was elected governor of Vermont in 1902. In 1875, after the death of her mother, Lizzie became the caretaker of the house. Her father died in 1882, and Lizzie bought out the stake her siblings had in the home to become the sole owner along with her husband; she paid Laura and Trenor $ 23,333 each. After her husband's death in 1915, Lizzie oversaw the house until she died in 1938. Even though her son, Hall Park McCullough, inherited

1935-546: Was named for Thomas Trenor, who fled Ireland after taking part in the failed Irish Rebellion of 1798 and became a prominent Bennington businessman and friend of Luther Park. Trenor Park was raised in Bennington and began working at an early age, including selling candy and carrying letters to and from the Bennington post office. At age 15 Park became the proprietor of a candy store on Bennington's North Street, and at age 16 he began to study law with Bennington County State's Attorney Alanson P. Lyman, attaining admission to

1980-520: Was succeeded by William Sherman. In 1863 he was a Unionist candidate for the U.S. Senate , narrowly losing election in the California legislature. In 1864 he was a California delegate to the Union National Convention that nominated Republican President Abraham Lincoln for reelection and Democrat Andrew Johnson for vice president. In 1864 Park returned to Vermont, where he incorporated

2025-537: Was under construction from 1864 to 1865, on a property of almost 200 acres (0.81 km), and was designed by New York architectural firm Diaper and Dudley. The house was built in the Second Empire style. Over time, the total amount of land owned by the family topped 600 acres (2.4 km)! It was originally built as a summer cottage/retreat from their New York home. The family occupied the house most likely from May or June to September or October, and occasionally spent

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