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Edith Livingston Morton was born into a family of wealth and social prominence in 1874.  She was well educated and expected to marry, have a family and take her place in society.  Her mother raised her five daughters not only to enjoy and lead society, but also to “be responsible ….”

Anna Livingston Reade Street Morton with daughters including Edith shown holding a doll.

The Gilded Age refers to the period after the Civil War to roughly the year 1900. The term was purportedly coined to refer to a metaphorical thin layer of gold that covered a society with many problems. It may also refer to the accumulation of immense wealth by a handful of families. The Morton family’s Rhinebeck, New York residence, Ellerslie, is where Edith spent part of her early years.

Ellerslie, Rhinebeck, N.Y.

The opulence of the Gilded Age is the world that a young Edith Morton entered as she came out into society toward the turn of the 20th century.

Edith was accomplished in social skills but she also had interests of her own. She was described as a “brilliant pianist” in a Washington Post article. She wrote an article entitled “Why Should Girls Have Nothing to do?” for the journal Charities, and she later wrote a novel, Marion Manning.

Edith in 1895 at age 21.

In 1904 Edith and William Eustis purchased the run-down Oatlands Mansion and acres of land to use as a country home and horse property.

Edith wanted to restore the original home, not re-work it to suit any trendy fashions. She updated the overgrown walled garden to reflect a European pleasure garden while maintaining most of the original infrastructure of the garden. Read more about the garden.

Oatlands Mansion, 1904