[mairdie]

Greatgrandfather's 3rd wife was part of that same NY 400 but, from what I heard, it sounds just as wild and nasty then as much of what you read about now.

Luckily, I descend from the second wife. Grandmother spent her life working in social work and for animal welfare. Bless her heart.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Wow thank you for posting those exquisite photos and for sharing about your grandmother!

There are hard lessons to be learned from every era, and much to celebrate about the Gilded Age as well. I for one am encouraged by the increase in efforts to preserve and restore its architecture.