The Last Gilded Age Manor House Staff
The Elms Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, offers visitors a rare glimpse into America’s last authentic Gilded Age household.
The mansion’s Servant Life Tour takes you through the preserved service areas where 40 servants once worked under Julia Berwind’s traditional management style.
When Julia inherited The Elms in 1936, she refused to modernize or cut back like other wealthy families during the Great Depression and World War II.
Instead, she maintained the full staff and old-fashioned ways until her death in 1961, making her household one of the final examples of true Gilded Age living.
Her story reveals how one determined woman kept an entire era alive for 25 years after it had ended everywhere else.
Edward’s Sister Took Over His Massive Newport Home in 1936
When coal tycoon Edward Berwind died in 1936, his unmarried sister Julia got The Elms, his huge Newport summer home.
Julia, 72, already knew how to run the place since she’d been Edward’s hostess after his wife Sarah died in 1922. The mansion had 50 rooms spread across 31,401 square feet.
Julia got most of Edward’s money too, about $31 million in 1942 (worth over $550 million today). For the next 25 years, she kept this palace running just like it did in the Gilded Age.
She Kept 40 Servants While Others Cut Back
While rich families reduced staff during the Great Depression and World War II, Julia changed nothing. She kept all 40 servants at The Elms and lived as lavishly as ever.
She spent winters at New York’s Savoy-Plaza Hotel and summers running The Elms. The mansion needed at least 30 workers just to function properly.
Her staff included butlers, footmen, maids, cooks, gardeners, and even a special pastry chef, all working in a strict chain of command most wealthy homes had already dropped.
Modern Appliances Never Made It Past Her Door
Though The Elms became one of America’s first homes with electricity in 1901, Julia ignored newer home gadgets.
Washers and dryers, common in American homes by the 1940s, never showed up in The Elms laundry rooms.
Staff kept washing clothes by hand and hanging them to dry well into the 1950s. Julia liked things the old way, making her home a snapshot of early 1900s living.
This seemed odd since The Elms once showed off cutting-edge features like its coal-powered electric plant and early elevator.
Morning Commands Came Through Her Bedroom Call-Box
Every morning, Julia ran her household staff using a special call-box system in her bedroom. Before phone calls became normal, the Berwinds used this system to call specific servants from almost any room.
The system had labeled buttons linked to panels throughout the service areas. Julia could summon any of her 16 indoor staff with one button push, saving time looking for help.
This technology, fancy for its time but old-fashioned by the 1950s, let her run the huge household without leaving her room.
Her Car Rides Shocked Newport’s Old Guard
Julia turned heads in Newport by driving her luxury cars herself. She owned several fancy cars, including a Renault that became her trademark around town.
When rich women typically had chauffeurs, Julia took the wheel, shocking older wealthy folks who thought it unladylike.
People said her social secretary checked the steering wheel with white gloves before each drive to make sure Julia’s hands stayed clean.
This small act of freedom showed she’d break some social rules while keeping others.
Local Kids Got Cookies at America’s Grandest Mansion
Julia often invited children from Newport’s Fifth Ward, a working-class immigrant area, to The Elms for milk and cookies.
This unusual habit bridged the huge social gap between the rich and families who often worked for these grand estates.
Many kids came from the same immigrant groups whose relatives worked as servants in Newport homes.
While Julia kept strict class rules inside her household, she showed a kinder side through these casual gatherings.
The children saw inside one of America’s grandest homes while Julia enjoyed their company in her later years.
Card Games Featured a Butler Who Couldn’t Sit Down
Julia loved playing bridge in her old age and often hosted afternoon card games in The Elms’ fancy rooms. When she needed a fourth player, she called her butler to join.
Following strict service rules, the butler played while standing up straight, never sitting with his boss or her guests.
This odd scene showed the strict class divisions Julia kept. The butler, trained in proper manners, knew his place even during games.
He stood for hours, cards in hand, with perfect posture while playing with the woman who paid his salary.
Her Staff Survived Depression and War Unchanged
The Great Depression forced many rich families to cut household staff, and World War II further reduced the servant class as people found better-paying factory jobs.
Julia ignored these trends completely. She kept all 40 servants through economic collapse, including 27 outdoor workers plus 16 indoor servants handling the family’s needs.
While other Newport “cottages” closed wings or shortened seasons, Julia kept the full six-week social season with all traditional events and customs.
Her staff costs alone would equal millions in today’s money.
Time Stood Still While America Modernized
By the 1950s, The Elms had become a living museum of Gilded Age home life.
As other rich families bought modern appliances, hosted casual parties, and hired fewer staff, Julia’s household stayed frozen in 1900s customs.
Her 40 servants followed old-fashioned rules and formal service practices that had mostly vanished elsewhere.
The complex seasonal traditions continued unchanged, from formal dinner parties to the exact way beds were prepared each night.
While Americans moved to suburban homes with modern gadgets, The Elms kept practices from a past era, becoming America’s last true Gilded Age household.
Death at 96 Ended an Era in American Domestic Life
Julia never married and died in Newport on May 16, 1961, at age 96. She left The Elms to her nephew Charles E.
Dunlap, her sister’s son. Dunlap, born in 1888, felt little connection to the huge estate and knew he couldn’t keep it running.
He quickly sold it to New York developers who planned to tear down the mansion and build a shopping center.
The Gilded Age lifestyle, with dozens of servants and endless upkeep costs, had lost appeal even to the wealthy.
Julia’s death marked the end of America’s last fully-staffed Gilded Age household, a way of life that once defined the country’s elite.
Preservationists Beat the Wrecking Ball by Weeks
The Elms faced certain destruction in 1962 after most of its contents were sold at a public auction.
With demolition scheduled, the Preservation Society of Newport County launched a desperate campaign to save the mansion.
A timely stock market downturn weakened the developers’ position, giving preservationists an opening.
With just weeks to spare before wrecking balls arrived, the Society raised $116,000 to purchase the property.
They opened The Elms to the public as a museum, preserving this last authentic Gilded Age estate for future generations.
Today, visitors can tour the same rooms where Julia commanded her army of 40 servants until 1961, seeing a lifestyle that otherwise would have vanished completely.
Visiting The Elms Mansion in Newport Rhode Island
The Elms Mansion at 367 Bellevue Avenue in Newport shows how Julia Berwind ran her massive 40-servant household until 1961, long after other Gilded Age mansions closed.
Take the Servant Life Tour at 10 am, 12 pm or 2 pm with advance reservations to learn about the staff who kept this place running.
Visit daily February through early November and during holiday season for $25 per adult. For the main mansion tour, bring earbuds for the free self-guided audio tour app.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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