Merwin House, c. 1825
Tranquility
14 Main Street
Stockbridge, Mass. 02162
MerwinHouse@HistoricNewEngland.org
Directions
Open : June 7 and December 6, 11am-4pm.
Admission : Free.
Group tours available with advanced reservations.
Please call 860-928-4074.
At the end of the 19th century, railroads opened the Berkshires,
which soon became a summer destination for wealthy New Yorkers. This
handsome brick structure, which dates from the late Federal period,
was purchased by William and Elizabeth Doane as a summer home in
1875.
Around 1900, the Doanes doubled its size by adding a shingle-style
ell and remodeled the interior of the main house. They decorated the
house in an eclectic manner with European and American furnishings,
much of which they collected during their extensive travels. The
house was preserved by the Doanes' daughter, Vipont Merwin, who added
her own memorabilia to the decorative scheme.
Situated in the heart of the charming resort
town of Stockbridge, the house reflects a leisurely summer existence,
with afternoons spent relaxing on the capacious back porch or
strolling through the gardens and down the lawn to the Housatonic
River.
Directions: Take I-90 to Exit 2, Route 102 west to
Stockbridge. Merwin House is the seventh house on the left after the
Red Lion Inn.