Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
Gettysburg, July 1863
Our collection of 500 letters from the Civil War has one glaring omission. Ario Pardee Jr.’s letters from Gettysburg are missing, and prolonged efforts to locate them (both nationally through Civil War collection experts and … Read more.
A Letter from Ario Pardee to His Two Young Sons at Boarding School, March 1851
A Letter of Guidance When Ario Pardee married his second wife, Anna Maria Robison in 1848, his domestic life became painfully stressful. His two sons from his first wife, Ario Jr. and Calvin, resented their … Read more.
The Pardees
The name Pardee is derived from the French oath par Dieu which was Anglicised to Parde, Pardy, Pardie, and ultimately to Pardieu and Pardee. Around 1530 these families were living in the Normandy region of … Read more.
Cranborne Manor, Dorset, England
Blithewold Mansion was built in 1907 on the site of an earlier house which burned in the summer of 1906. The new house was designed in an English Country Manor style. It has often been … Read more.
Bristol Phoenix, Tuesday, June 22, 1897: Opening of a New Golf Club House
*Article from the Bristol Phoenix, Tuesday, June 22, 1897* The formal opening of the new club house of the Bristol Golf Club took place Saturday afternoon and proved to be a very pleasant occasion. The … Read more.
February at Blithewold “I Remember”
The Christmas decorations are put away for another year, and Blithewold enters a hibernation of sorts — taking a well-earned rest before the activity and commotion of preparing for another season. An icy wind is … Read more.
The Shop at Blithewold
If you’ve visited Blithewold during our Christmas season before, I’m sure you’ve noticed the cheery, little shop tucked away in the Breakfast Porch. The Shop at Blithewold normally lives in the Visitor’s Center, but at … Read more.
Fox Dressmaking Company
The Fox Company, Bessie Van Wickle-McKee’s favorite dressmaker, was one of the oldest and most elite dressmaking establishments in the United States. Founded by the four Fox sisters in 1885, it occupied an elegant house … Read more.
Behind the Scenes with Our Christmas Orchestrator
Many different pieces and people work together to achieve the splendor that is Christmas at Blithewold. The orchestrator behind the whole production is Sally Phillips, now celebrating her 15th year as Christmas season coordinator. Even … Read more.
Celebrating Our Arboretum
There’s something very new and exciting going on this year in Blithewold’s Visitor’s Center during Christmas at Blithewold. Gail Read, Gardens Manager, Kris Green, Interpretive Horticulturist, and Betsy Ekholm, Horticulturist, have partnered with the garden volunteers … Read more.