I thought it appropriate that Kathy and I visit the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington today. I was continually reminded as we took the tour of the house that history certainly repeats itself.
1. Mary Todd's dad bought the house from a bank as the previous owner lost it due to business failure.
2. Mary Todd Liincoln was notorious for overspending her budget.
3. President Lincoln was beseiged continually by critics of his policies and if there had been such a thing as opinion polls many historians agree he would often have been below 50 percent
The Mary Todd House (578 West Main Street - Lexington)
Nestled next to the Lexington Convention Center's Heritage Hall is a three story Georgian structure. "Mary Todd House - Open" the sign in front reads. Today, just five days before Americans usher in the newest First Lady - Cindy or Michelle? - my wife Kathy and I stepped back into time to view some of the roots of one of the most interesting First Ladies. In fact, the Mary Todd House, which opened in 1977, is the first museum to honor a First Lady.
The house was originally an inn, which opened in 1806. But its owner fell on hard times and put the house up for auction in 1827. A Kentucky gentleman and politician, Richard Todd bought the house and its acreage in 1831 for about $1400. He moved his family (among them a teen-aged Mary) into the house in 1832. Mary lived there until she moved to live in Illinois with an older sister (where she met a gawky but brilliant lawyer and the rest is history!)
The house is decorated as it would have been decorated during the years that Mary lived there (1832- 1839.) The Todds were sophisticated and wealthy. Lexington, at the time, had been called the "Athens of the West." The furnishings are generally Victorian - heavy red draperies, patterned carpets, stuffed furniture, expansive beds hung with curtains. (One interesting fact was that the carpet in their parlor would have cost LESS than ten pounds of white sugar - sugar that was so valuable that it was kept under lock and key). Mary learned to be interested in politics and she gained an appreciation for beautiful things in her family home. When she eventually did move into the White House it was after the bachelorhood of Buchanan and the White House sorely needed refurbishing. History records that Mary overspent (Kathy can identify) but even critics agreed that the result was beautiful.
Mary's life was not a happy one. Washington society snubbed her. Some claimed that she herself was a Confederate spy. She suffered from migraines. She not only lost her husband, but three of her four sons died before she did. Her oldest son, Robert, had her declared insane. (She subsequently hired a lawyer to prove that she was of sound mind.)
The Todd house has been furnished with some family pieces, some period pieces and some reproductions. The house itself passed out of the family's hands in 1849 when father Richard Todd died of cholera. The furnishings themselves were sold at an auction. Over the years the house fell into disrepair and was slated to be removed (to make way for Rupp Arena parking) until it was rescued by Kentucky governor's wife, Beula Nunn, in 1976.
Just five days until either Cindy or Michelle becomes a First Lady. What will history have in store for her? (And for all of us?)
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