2025 Life Logs, Day 129: Blithewold Tour
Date: Friday, May 9, 2025
Weather: Overcast AM, Rainy PM; High Temp 60, Low 52 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview Avenue with My Shadow, Falmouth, MA
Blithewold is a direct translation of the Old English word meaning “happy woodland.” Today I toured the grounds and home named Blithewold in Bristol, Rhode Island, with members of the Newcomers/Encore Field Trip group. The property is lovely and overlooks Narragansett Bay. The home is a good example of a late 19th century, early 20th century country home for the rich. It was built by Augustus Van Wickle and his wife Bessie. Unfortunately, Augustus was killed in a skeet shooting incident only two years after the home was built. And just a few years later the home was destroyed in a fire. A new home was built by Bessie and her second husband and filled with the furniture saved from the home that burned down. I enjoyed the walk through the gardens and woodland areas of the property. My favorite thing about the house was all of the massive porches overlooking the bay.
