Gray Gables facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gray Gables |
|
|---|---|
_(14577096189).jpg)
Sketch of Gray Gables (1890)
|
|
| Former names | Tudor Haven |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Shingle style architecture |
| Location | Bourne, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 41°44′03″N 70°37′26″W / 41.7343°N 70.6240°W |
| Estimated completion | 1880 |
| Renovated | 1890 |
| Destroyed | December 11, 1973 (fire) |
| Owner | Grover Cleveland (1890–1908) Cleveland family (1908–1920) Gray Gables Ocean House (until 1973) |
| Known for | Grover Cleveland's Summer White House |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 20 |
Gray Gables was a special house in Bourne, Massachusetts. It was once owned by Grover Cleveland, who was the President of the United States. From 1893 to 1896, it was known as his "Summer White House." This meant he could work and relax there during the warmer months. Later, Gray Gables became a hotel called the Gray Gables Ocean House. Sadly, a fire destroyed the hotel in 1973.
Contents
History of Gray Gables
President Cleveland's Summer Home
Gray Gables was first built in 1880. Its first owners called it Tudor Haven. In 1890, Grover Cleveland bought the house for $20,000. He made some changes to it and gave it the new name, Gray Gables.
At that time, the property was very large. It included about 110 acres of land and 1.5 miles of beachfront. This beachfront was along Buzzards Bay. The property also had the main house and a separate lodge for hunting.
Cleveland had wanted to buy another house in Marion, Massachusetts. He had spent his previous four summers there. But the owners raised the price, so he decided to buy Gray Gables instead.
In 1892, Cleveland ran for president again. He needed to keep up with important news. So, an electric telegraph was put in the house. This allowed him to get updates from the 1892 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
That fall, he won the election. Gray Gables then became his official Summer White House. This lasted from 1893 to 1896. To make travel easier, a small train station was built nearby in 1892. This was the Gray Gables Railroad Station on the Old Colony Railroad. It helped him travel easily to Washington, D.C.. A dock was also built next to the house. This dock was for a Navy gunboat.
In 1893, President Cleveland had a secret medical procedure. He had a growth removed while on a friend's yacht. He recovered at Gray Gables after this operation. Two of his children were also born at the house. Marion was born in 1895, and Francis Grover was born in 1903.
After his time as president, the Cleveland family continued to spend summers at Gray Gables. They did this until 1904. That year, his daughter Ruth passed away at age 13. After her death, the family stopped summering there. They began to rent out the house instead. Grover Cleveland died in 1908. The family sold Gray Gables in 1920.
From Home to Hotel and Fire
In the middle of the 20th century, Gray Gables changed. It was turned into a restaurant and hotel. It became known as the Gray Gables Ocean House.
On December 11, 1973, a fire broke out. The hotel was completely destroyed that morning. In the 2000s, a new private home was built where Gray Gables once stood.
Gray Gables' Lasting Legacy
The name Gray Gables lives on in the area. The neighborhood of Gray Gables in Bourne is named after the house. The former Gray Gables Railroad Station also got its name from the house. In 1976, the old station building was moved. It is now part of the Aptucxet Trading Post Museum.
Because Grover Cleveland spent so much time at Gray Gables, he loved fishing in Buzzards Bay. A shallow area in the bay was named after him: Cleveland Ledge. A lighthouse built in 1943, called Cleveland East Ledge Light, sits on top of this ledge.
