Naumkeag Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

Naumkeag
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District


Location	5 Prospect Hill Rd Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Built	1886-87
Architect	Stanford White; Landscape Architect:; Fletcher Steele
Architectural style	Shingle Style
NRHP reference No.	75000264
Added to NRHP	November 3, 1975
Designated NHLD	March 29, 2007

Naumkeag is a beautiful old country estate in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It used to be the summer home of a famous New York City lawyer named Joseph Hodges Choate and his wife, Caroline Dutcher Sterling Choate.

The main building is a large, 44-room house. It was designed by Stanford White and built between 1886 and 1887. The house is known for its special "Shingle Style" look.

Naumkeag is also very famous for its amazing gardens. These gardens were designed by a well-known landscape artist named Fletcher Steele. He worked with the Choates' daughter, Mabel Choate. Today, Naumkeag is a National Historic Landmark. It is owned by The Trustees of Reservations, who keep it open as a museum for everyone to visit.

Exploring the Naumkeag Estate
- The Shingle Style House
- The Amazing Gardens
History of Naumkeag
- Building the House
- Designing the Gardens
Images for kids
See also

Exploring the Naumkeag Estate

Naumkeag was created as a summer getaway for the Choate family. Stanford White, a famous architect, designed the house in 1885. Joseph Choate was a very important lawyer and even served as the American ambassador to England. His wife, Caroline, was an artist and worked to help women get a better education. Later, their daughter Mabel lived in the house.

The Shingle Style House

The house itself is built in the Shingle Style. This means it has an outside covered in wooden shingles. It also features brick and stone towers, large pointed gables, and a big porch. Inside, you can see beautiful wooden details. The house still holds the Choate family's furniture, Chinese porcelain, and art. This art was collected from America, Europe, and the Far East.

The Amazing Gardens

The house sits on about 8 acres (3.2 hectares) of amazing terraced gardens. These gardens include special areas like The Rose Garden, The Afternoon Garden, and The Chinese Garden. The gardens are surrounded by about 40 acres (16 hectares) of woods, meadows, and pastures.

The first garden designs were made in the late 1880s by Nathan Barrett. He created two terraces, flower beds (which are now part of the Chinese Garden), and evergreen topiary shapes.

Later, between 1926 and 1956, the famous landscape designer Fletcher Steele redesigned and added to the gardens. His additions include the Afternoon Garden (from 1926) and the famous Blue Steps (from 1938). He also worked on the Chinese Garden between 1936 and 1955.

History of Naumkeag

An autochrome of the Choates in Naumkeag's garden, around 1910.

The area where Naumkeag stands was settled in the 1730s. This was when Stockbridge was founded as a Native American mission community. Joseph Hodges Choate bought the land for Naumkeag in 1884. His family often vacationed in Stockbridge. They had even enjoyed picnics on the very land where their future home would be built.

Building the House

Joseph Choate was good friends with architect Charles Follen McKim. However, most of the design work for Naumkeag was done by McKim's partner, Stanford White. Building the house began soon after the land was bought. It was finished in 1887 and cost about $35,000. Stanford White also helped the Choates choose decorations and furniture for the house. He even traveled to Europe with them to find special pieces.

Over the years, the house had a few changes. For example, the library was made bigger in 1897. More bathrooms were added in the early 1900s. When Mabel Choate owned the house, only small changes were made.

Designing the Gardens

Joseph Choate first asked Frederick Law Olmsted to design the landscape. But Choate didn't like Olmsted's idea to place the house halfway down the hill. So, the job went to Nathan Barrett, a self-taught designer. Barrett's garden plans were put into action between 1884 and 1894.

His design included formal flower gardens close to the house. He also created a wide meadow that sloped down the hill. At the bottom, there was an orchard and the family's cemetery plot. For the main fountain, Choate asked Stanford White's friend, the sculptor Frederick MacMonnies, to create a piece. This resulted in the sculpture called Young Faun with Heron.

A garden wall at Naumkeag.

Between 1895 and 1925, some small changes were made to the gardens. These changes were guided by Percival Gallagher and Marian Cruger Coffin. Joseph Choate's daughter, Mabel, became very involved in garden decisions. She took full control of the estate after her mother passed away in 1929.

Mabel Choate then started working with designer Fletcher Steele in 1926. This partnership lasted for many years and created the famous gardens we see today. When Mabel passed away in 1958, she left Naumkeag to The Trustees of Reservations. She wanted it to be kept just as it was, showing how people lived in her time.

Naumkeag's main house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In 2007, the entire estate became a National Historic Landmark District. It was recognized for its well-preserved house and its amazing, innovative garden designs by Fletcher Steele.