One of my favorite things about working at an historical home is seeing the stories of the past come together piece by piece. Combine that with my other favorite thing (weddings!) and you have one happy Special Events Coordinator. So you can imagine how excited I was when I received a letter from Virginia Agar of Palm City, FL explaining how she may be the link to The Mount’s first wedding. 

Virginia already has a pretty impressive link to The Mount. She is the granddaughter of Edith Wharton’s coachman William Parlett. Her mother lived in the stables as a young girl and Teddy Wharton would give her rides on his horse up and down the driveway. Over the years Virginia has made a great effort to keep this connection alive. She has shared  stories and photos of William Parlett with us and even donated a beautiful clothes brush that was given to him by Edith Wharton. There is now a large photo of Parlett and his family hanging in the Carriage Wash – which was once his domain.  All this info she has provided is particularly useful to us going into the 2014 season as we prepare to launch our Backstairs tour, focusing on the lives of Edith Wharton’s servants. 

So, in 1989, when Virginia’s son got engaged the family decided to have the wedding at a location that would “marry” personal history with love and commitment. The Mount was the clear choice. They turned to Scott Marshall, the historian of The Mount in 1989 and he loved the idea. The rest is history.  Check out this article from the Berkshire Eagle, 1989, and these photos Virginia sent me of what is most likely the first wedding at The Mount.

Cheers,

Grace