The Collection

Blithewold is nationally significant in American history as one of the most fully-developed, best-documented, and intact examples of the Country Place Era in the United States, and for its value in
representing the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement on domestic design in this country.

A fusion of architecture, landscape architecture, horticulture, and decorative arts, Blithewold is among the few late 19th and early 20th century New England estates that retain their integrity and authenticity down to the details of plant materials and interior furnishings, family archives, and artifacts.

The archival collection is unusually rich, providing complete evidence of one family’s way of life between 1810 and 1976. The third floor of the Mansion is devoted to the safe storage of the collections, including clothing and jewelry, toys and sporting equipment, books and paintings, journals and home movies, and thousands of letters and photographs. These collections are displayed periodically in special changing exhibits throughout the Mansion.