Comments by "Louis" (@LJB103) on "What was America's 2nd Largest Home? (Shadow Brook)" video.

  1. Homestead was built for sisters Julia and Mary Appleton by Charles F. McKim (of McKim, Mead & White) who then married Julia, and they then moved in. Shadow Brook was the largest in the US for a short period as it was officially opened before Biltmore. There is a fun story about this house with several variations on the wording. One son in the Yale class of 1897 was going to bring some classmates to the house and wired: "Bringing some '97 men." Mrs Phelps Stokes wired back: "Already have guests.Can only house 50." Biographies of Carnegie state that the reason he bought the house was as a substitute for his Scottish Castle Skibo that he couldn't sail to during WWI. The painting of Mr & Mrs Phelps Stokes used in this video is by American painter Cecilia Beaux who also had a home, Green Alley, on Eastern Point in Gloucester, MA near Henry Sleeper's Beauport (earlier video in this series). Excellent video.
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