Lat: 41 29.8N / Long: 071 19.8W
After a 20 hour sail, the arrival in Newport was a nice contrast to New York City: It's very neat and clean and we met the colonial charm of New England as well as a far more pleasant climate. During the day we had warm temperatures with a light breeze and refreshingly mild nights for a healthy sleep.
Founded in 1639 by William Coddington, Newport at first was refuge for people being persecuted for their religious belief. Even in the new world there were witch hunts! Here are some of the oldest churches in America, as well as the oldest synagogue founded by Sephardic Jews who were persecuted in Spain.
After its founding, Newport could soon compete with the port cities of Boston, New York and Charleston, because it benefited from the so-called 'triangle trade' (import of slaves from Africa to the Caribbean, transportation of sugarcane from the Caribbean, the production of sugar and rum in Newport and export to England).
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| Fire brigade |
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| Historic Newport house |
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| Newport houses |
In Newport everything is more relaxed than in NYC, it is the Mecca of sailing in the United States. For Gerd it’s was a great joy to see all the beautiful old sailing yachts. On the first day we visited the New York Yacht Club - the leading Sailing Club of America. It was founded in 1845 by New York businessmen who believed Newport to be an ideal place to sail on weekends and to spend the summer. Of course, many business relationships have been maintained and established.
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| View from „Members Only“- Terrace |
We went on a bus tour and learned about the so-called 'Gilded Age'. A term for the heyday of the American economy of about 1876-1914, which followed the Civil War in the wake of industrialization making a few like the Astors, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Mogans extremely wealthy families. The term "Gilded Age" was introduced by the socially critical Mark Twain, and refers to the fact that this time, although on its outside was a time of economic boom and technological progress, but it was also a time of great poverty and corruption, especially in the cities.
Newport gives an example of the extent of wasteful affluence of these elite families: Located along the coast road, on large plots of land they had built their residences. The "cottages", as they were described by their owners in self-irony, with their crystal chandeliers, marble staircases, gold and silver plated rooms, could easily compete with the grandeur and lavish equipment of leading European castles. The richest of the rich, the "Gilded 400" lived in their palaces only two to three weeks each summer and spent millions for their various parties and dinner invitations. The rest of the year the ‘Newport Mansions' were empty.
This ludicrous era gradually came to an end as the personal income tax was introduced in the USA and by the political consequences of the First World War II as well as the Great Depression. When one thinks about it - maybe in a somewhat more moderate way - parallels can be found to the excesses of the "Big Bubble" and the lavish lifestyle of some of the banking executives and hedge fund managers in recent times.
Today the mansions belong of the Newport Preservation Society, which keeps them in shape for the public. What we particularly liked was that the majority of the people working there were older folks; all very fit, friendly and very much enjoying their job.
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Rosecliff Mansion, which belonged to the heiresse of a silver mine in Nevada. Her mansion was modeled after the Grand Trianon at Versailles and was the backdrop for some scenes from the movie "The Great Gatsby".
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| The entrance portal |
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| View from the garden to the main house. |
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With it the Vanderbilt family wanted to outdo the other "cottages":
The Breakers, a Renaissance palace with 70 rooms, columns and arches.
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The comparably modest residence of the Astor family
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