George Washington visited Hot Springs, Va. on horseback in 1755 on an inspection tour of forts as protection against Indian attacks. The Homestead spa and resort was founded in 1766, a decade before our country. That made the hotel 250 years old in 2016. Thomas Jefferson wrote in his Memorandum Book that on August 13, 1818 he ate two meals at The Homestead and took the waters to the tune of $2.12 1/2. William Howard Taft was the keynote speaker there at the annual meeting of the Virginia Bar Association in August 1908. Woodrow Wilson and second wife, Edith, chose The Homestead for their Christmas honeymoon in 1915. Most every U.S. president since has visited the resort, where many indulge in the hotel’s most popular activity, golf. Hands down, The Homestead Hotel in Hot Springs, Virginia is one of the most prestigious locations in the country to hold a conference, treat the family to a vacation, bathe in the Jefferson pools, indulge in a dizzy array of spas, or . . . give a talk. It is located on U.S. 220 five miles south of Warm Springs in Bath County.
Hotel management conducted lively discussions on how to celebrate their first 250 years. Figuring that many people who would want to come could not, they quickly discarded the idea of a single Gala. The proposal that carried the day was a major surprise to the Pastry chefs: concoct and bake a unique cake flavor each of the 366 days of the year, and have 400 portions cut and ready to serve daily at 2:50 PM. Why this time? 2:50 is another way of saying 250. When I was there, the cake flavor was strawberry with vanilla oats.
Fig. 1. During its 250th year anniversary, the pastry chef concocted 366 different desserts.
This one was served on Mar. 12, 2016.
Fig. 2. On Mar. 12, 2016, partner Abigail Wiebenson and I blew out the birthday candle.
Another anniversary feature was to organize Fireside Chats: “Join us around the fire as influential guest speakers relay their experience with this historic resort,” read the flyer “Celebrating 250 years of Southern Hospitality.” While I had never been to The Homestead before, the SUBJECTS of my latest biography––Henry and Emily Folger––journeyed from Brooklyn to the resort 28 times from 1914 to 1929, spending over 600 days there. I was disappointed to learn that no record of the Folgers’ stays remains in the hotel archives, not even one photograph of the Folgers. Understandably not one of Emily in the baths, but what about Henry on the golf links? It is true that the Folgers were a reserved couple; they stayed below the radar. When the hotel’s director of Development and Communication learned that Collecting Shakespeare not only includes details about activities that Mr. and Mrs. Folger engaged in at the resort, but shares with the reader the numbers of the two hotel rooms they consistently rented, she invited me to come give a talk during the anniversary year. AND they put me up in the Folgers’ old Room, which you see below. What a thrill for a biographer! Moreover, the invitation to speak about Collecting Shakespeare fell in 2016, the 250th anniversary of The Homestead AND the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
Fig. 3. Hotel management invited us to sleep in the Folger bedroom.
Fig. 4. This Fun Fact was slipped under every hotel room door.
As invited guest, my talk in the Tower Suite was entitled “Shakespeare Collectors and Homestead Guests.” I showed the audience invoices the Folgers kept of their stays, where we see what they spent for room rental: $16 a night. I projected on the screen picture postcards of The Homestead that I had obtained on eBay that showed how the resort looked a century ago. I left the original postcards in The Homestead archives.
Fig. 5. Wearing my Shakespeare tie, I contemplate the dining room frequented by the Folgers.
Fig. 6. I am not a golfer, but I borrowed a hickory putter to mimic Henry’s signature stance.
(This post was originally published on Johns Hopkins University Press Blog on July 27, 2016).
COLLECTING SHAKESPEARE:
The Story of Henry and Emily Folger
Just seven years ago, on the Ides of March 2014, Johns Hopkins University Press released COLLECTING SHAKESPEARE, the only biography about the founders of the Folger Shakespeare Library: Henry Clay Folger and Emily Jordan Folger. Since that time, the Folger and the world have celebrated the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth and 400th anniversary of his death.
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Stephen, this is so much fun! I will set aside a little time later to watch the whole video of you giving your talk! Was fun seeing Abigail and her comments about wearing the lace collar. You keep leading us on into more treasure troves of history. Am trying to see my grandfather’s face in Henry Clay’s. I think I have a version of his forehead myself.
Interesting comment about the Folger forehead, Jackie. I’d heard reference only to the Folger bite. Perhaps you or your sister would share some information about your Folger lineage?
I fondly remember you speaking to Encore singers about Folger when we were at The Homestead. I sure do miss seeing you.
It was most pleasant, Jeanne, to see you in Annapolis, Maryland over the weekend. Hoping to sing with you later in the year.