Millionaires Row of Williamsport

The small city of Williamsport, Pennsylvania is often attributed as a blue collar middle class city. But at one time this mountain town boasted more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the United States. The abundance of timber in the area as well as the town’s proximity to the Susquehanna River helped to add an abundance of wealth to the area.

During the 1850’s, large homes began to showing up on West 4^th Street in the city. The local lumber barons began to spend their wealth on large luxurious homes. Most of the homes were designed by famed architect Eber Culver. As the timber industry began to expand, the population grew rapidly. Between 1860-1870 the population of Williamsport more than tripled. By the 1880’s, Williamsport was one of the wealthiest cities in the nation. The small city grew so much than an electric street car system was put into place 1 year before Philadelphia’s.

Sadly, by the end of the decade, the money began to wear thin. A flood in 1889 damaged many lumber facilities in the city, and the timber was slowly declining.

Even though the lumber capital of the world was facing many hardships, some growth was still occurring. Up until the 1920’s mansions were still being built in the wealthy west end of the city. But all good things must come to an end. A new decade spawned a great depression that quickly put a damper on the economy. Then in 1936 Mother Nature struck with another flood. This time the disaster affected the homes on Millionaire’s Row. Since the area had become vulnerable, most owners moved to higher grounds. In the 1940’s a community college sprouted up in the area and the large homes were mostly subsidized for renters. Since then most of the owners of the houses have done a tremendous job in up keeping the homes’ historic value. In 1985 Millionaire’s Row was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. What I find so fascinating with Millionaire’s Row, is its uniqueness. Unlike the McMansion neighborhoods of today where every home looks identical, the homes on Millionaires’ Row are each unique. Each home seems to have its own personality. The homes range from Italian Villa, to Greek Revival, Tudor to Victorian. There's certainly something to appeal to our inner architect or the daydreamer in all of us.

Lynnewood Hall

Hidden away in the suburbs far from the Liberty Bell and the tourists, sits a luxurious palace left as a shell of it's former self. The articulate limestone walls of the Lynnewood Hall lie at rest behind the overgrown yard, protected by a rusty fence.

This former elegant home was once deemed the "house that art built." Industrialist Peter Widener was an avid art collector and needed a larger home to house his valuable collection as well as entertain his esteemed colleagues. In 1900 he and his family moved into their 70,000 square foot dream home. The home was full of luxurious design. Marble lined the walls, while gold plated the doorknobs.

The Wiedener family was extremely wealthy, but also dealt with their share of hardships.
One of the family's sons and grandson perished in the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. Peter Widener himself only got to enjoy his dream home for a modest 15 years. He was found deceased in the home after a lengthy illness at the age of 80. Shortly after Peter's passing the home became open for public viewings. Visits eventually ceased in 1940, shortly after most of the artwork was donated.

The legacy of the Lynnewood Hall and Widener family slowly began to fade away. The home was used briefly by the U.S. government during World War 2. The grounds were used for canine training, while the home was used to store valuable documents and works of art.

Since then the home has switched hands a few times and is slowly falling into decay. No major work has been done on the home since the 1950's. Most of the valuable materials used for building have been stripped away and sold by previous owners. Many preservation groups are trying to help preserve the legacy of this lost palace, before it's history and beauty are lost forever.
Lynnewood Hall Video

Whitemarsh Hall in Pennsylvania

Be careful what you wish for!

The Stotesbury family like most Americans' loved to live the dream life. They enjoyed hosting lavish parties, with movie star guests and noble statesmen from all over the world. After all when your home is larger than the White House you certainly have the room for such luxurious affairs.

The Stotesbury's moved into their dream palace in 1921. The home consisted of 147 rooms and 45 bathrooms and cost a modest 3 million dollars. The home was deemed the "American Versailles."

As quickly as their dreams came to fruition, they also vanished just as fast. At costs of over 1 million dollars a year to sustain the home and surrounding acreage, the family fortune quickly began to dwindle. By World War 2 the home had been left abandoned and was being used by the United States government to store valuable pieces of artwork.



After the government moved out, the vandals moved in. Anything of value had been stolen and the locals began to vandalize the home. Eventually the home had fallen into such disarray the community had no choice but to destroy the lost palace. Today all that remains are a few monuments from the gardens and the lost dreams of an American family.

Video look at Whitemarsh Hall
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