Everett Mansion

Everett Mansion in historical Bennington, Vermont is steeped in history.

In 1910, Edward Everett bought 500 acres of land from what had previously been the Holden Estate. Before Everett died in 1929, the estate served as his summer residence. His second wife, Grace, used the estate as her primary residence even after Everett's death until 1952 when she sold the estate to the Order of the Holy Cross for use as a monastery. The beautiful estate sold for only $65,000 and the Order of the Holy Cross swapped properties with St. Joseph College in downtown Bennington in later years. The name was changed to Southern Vermont College and that is still its use now.

Edward Everett worked as a bottle salesman for his stepfather, the inventor of the Lightning jar. Everett was a talented salesman. He quickly rocketed up the ranks and is considered the glass and bottle magnate of the Industrial Revolution. He was the first to discover oil and natural gas in Ohio. His company, the American Bottle Company netted him a worth of $40-$50 million dollars.

His primary residence was in Washington, D.C. and that building is now the Turkish Embassy. He also owned a chateau in Switzerland near Lake Geneva. He also donated a million dollars toward the construction of the Bennington Museum.

Everett had five daughters by his two wives and no sons.

The construction of Everett Mansion or "the Orchards" as it was more formerly known cost an estimated $2 million. Everett wasted no expense on his summer retreat. Construction began in 1911 and was completed in 1914; the architect was the famous George Totten. The exterior was built of goldstone quarried on the estate and in nearby Pownal, Vermont. Numerous stonemasons worked ten hours a day all week for six months in order to complete the exterior. The red roof tiles and the marble for the staircases and fireplaces came from Italy, the sterling silver door handles and crystal chandeliers came from England and the mahogany paneling came from Cuba.

The main entrance is off the still-cobblestoned courtyard. The first floor held a dance floor-turned theatre and a living room among others. The second room held bedrooms. The third held servants' quarters, a playroom and attics. All in all, the mansion contained 27 rooms.

The carriage house housed three Rolls Royce and is now used for Admissions. The gate house is currently privately owned. The barns were destroyed by fire in 1985.

Everett also invested in orchards and had approximately 80 thousand trees on his property.