Victorian Millionaire Homes

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Today is our last one in Helena and we drive around the Mansion District of Helena viewing the many old millionaire homes and others that can be seen on the hills of the city.  Here are more very large old homes than we have ever seen in one city in all our travels over the last few years.  Many are for sale here as in other places as the cost of renovating and keeping up these homes is quite expensive.  Some have been made into Bed and Breakfasts and I’m sure are interesting places to stay.

Caroll College, an over 100 year old private Catholic College located here in Helena, is a liberal arts and preprofessional college which was founded in 1909.  The original building below sits high atop the hill overlooking the valley below.  What a view!

As in many other towns we visit, Ron and I visit the oldest cemetery here (Benton Avenue Cemetery established in 1870) as well.   There are usually some old mausoleums and headstones and we are always curious to see how old some of them are and if there are any quirky epitaphs.  We are not disappointed here.  This was a nonsectarian Protestant burial ground where many prominent pioneer Helenans were buried but was little used after 1900.  In 2003 it became listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of the headstones has an epitaph which reads,

                                    Here he lies

                                    His life cut short

                                    His death avenged

Wonder what the story is there?

One of the interesting things I learned in my reading about this cemetery is that the ironwork fences around the many family graves (very customary in the 1800’s) were not removed during World War II to be used for the war effort as it was in many other places in the U.S. 

Signing off until we reach Butte.