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Walpole Woodworkers takes great pride in having been chosen to recreate fencing and gates as part of the extensive restoration of The Mount, the Edith Wharton estate in Lenox, Massachusetts. The property is a National Historic Landmark. Although essentially self-educated, Edith Wharton (1862 - 1937) is acknowledged as one of America's greatest writers, producing over 40 books. In addition to fiction, she authored works on architecture, gardens and interior design. She is recognized to have had a profound influence on the design and decoration of American homes.
With the construction of her grand home, The Mount, in 1902, Edith Wharton brought her genius in architecture, gardens, and design to fruition. Under the auspices of Edith Wharton Restoration, Inc., The Mount will be fully restored for the Wharton centennial this summer.
Working with historical experts Scott Marshall and David Anderson from The Mount, Walpole began work with the main driveway entry gates. The originals were beyond restoration. After taking exact measurement of the gates, including height, width, spindle diameter and spacing, as well as studying historic photographs, detailed plans were drawn at Walpole's offices in Walpole, MA. The three feet high main pillar post turned urns were especially difficult to reproduce. Old photographs were unclear and no original urn still existed. However, Walpole called upon its seventy years of  experience in hand crafting exceptional fence and the work was completed to exact specifications in a timely manner. Our production management staff worked with our skilled carpenters to mill the cyprus lumber for the many dimensional boards in the final sections, gates, and posts. Two coats of white stain were applied at Walpole using our unique process.
In December 2001, holes were dug for the 16" and 14" square pillar posts. After being set and braced into position, the post caps were nailed onto the posts, and the urns were erected. At this time, critical as-built measurements were taken to assure radius section and gate construction accuracy. Fence sections, the single gate and main entry gates were installed and hung in January of 2002. Walpole's work is complete when the fence is power washed and stained once more. The Edith Wharton estate is open to the public from May to October.  
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