The Griffin was the mascot of the school. You’ll see it used often in the design of the windows. This window was in Ambrose Hall and was given by the class of 1907.
Oh, I do adore stained glass windows. I think that’s partly why I long to work with the Czech glass beads of various types. I like the gem like quality and wide diversity glass offers. On our first visit to the Kemper Center was to tour the Durkee Mansion the stained glass windows caught my eye then. On our recent tour of the Kemper Center proper I got to see them through out the center. It was a tradition from the earliest classes to design, commission, and donate a window with the class motto to the center upon graduation. Some windows in the campus chapel were donated as memorial or honors for individuals by families or groups.
The earliest windows were made in Germany. I can’t imagine they were cheap to have made there and shipped here. I’m sure the project took all senior year if not started in their junior year. Later windows were made in England such as the Angel and Mary one. Still not cheap I’d bet. Then later ones than that were made here in the US. I’m sure it was a be thing to have your class window come in and be installed.
We were lucky when we toured the center that it was very bright day. The sunlight through these windows was amazing. I can’t say the images did it justice but it gives you a good idea of how lovely these works of art are.
Kemper Center is an important landmark here in Kenosha. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 for historic significance in architecture (Italianate/Gothic), Education (girls school 1865-1975), and religion (Episcopal Sisters of St. Mary Western Provence). It is named for Bishop Jackson Kemper, the First Missionary Bishop for the Northwest Territory of the American Episcopal Church. It’s Register number #76000067. The last time I did a post about it was highlight the Durkee Mansion during the holidays. Today highlights the school itself.
It’s not often open for tours. Mike and I were determined to see the center when we read in the paper it was to be completely open for tours on that Sunday. From the nun’s lodging through the chapel to class areas including the first women’s chemistry lab and the Griffin observatory then out through the Simmons Gym. Sounded great and we were looking forward to seeing the interior.
The campus of the school grew of the years. We started in Ambrose Hall which was home to 36 nuns and was built in 1911. It even had a red door – yes I made a picture of it! It is named for Sister Mary Ambrose who was Mother Superior and headmistress at Kemper for nearly 40 years. This hall featured the dining room for the nuns where they took their meals in silence but had a wonderful view of the lake. Upstairs were the quarters for all the nuns except the Mother Superior who resided in the Durkee mansion. There is a private chapel upstairs for the nuns. This area was off limits to students and men it was the nuns area.
There were many beautiful stain glass windows here as there were in the Durkee manison. It was tradition that each graduating class design and donate a glass window to the school. I’m going to give them their own post since the were so colorful on the sunny day of our tour. Just know they are beautiful.
Next the tour moved into the Red Brick Cloister built in 1911 connecting Ambrose Hall to the campus Chapel. This was the final area of the sister’s retreat. It is made of dark wood and red brick with Gothic arch ceiling. Both sides are lined with beautiful stain glass windows each window offering a different stylization of the lily. The Order of the Sisters symbol was the lily. The area was very peaceful and calming.
From there we moved into the brightness of the campus Chapel built in 1875. Like many structures it’s been expanded and elaborated upon since it was built. In 1904 the marble Baptistery was added. That features stain glass windows of the archangels. The iron gates to the Baptistery and the Baptismal font were gifts from the Morrell family in gratitude of their daughter surviving the Chicago Iroquois Theater fire. The rood screen separated the sitting area of the sisters from that of the students. It was designed by Anna Upjohn a student and was built in 1889. The altar and pews were hand carved in the Germany. The triptych over the altar features the main painting is a copy of The Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine by Fra Bartolommes. The two side panels were painted by Anna Upjohn the same student that designed the rood screen. There were numerous stained glass windows given as memorials, honorariums, and class graduations.
From there we entered the school proper. The intention of the school was to teach the girls to have spiritual, intellectual, and physical force to become leaders in society. Roy Roger’s daughters attended here as did Basil Rathbone’s as did the future Mrs. Alan Ladd. Ms. Frances E. Willis the first woman ambassador was a member of the 1916 graduating class. Today there are about 2,000 living alumnae living in all 50 states and 8 foreign countries.
Through this connecting hall to the larger part of the school we passed the Bridal room. A lovely room for brides to dress in their gowns and prepare for their wedding. Also there were various displays about dorm rooms, class rooms, preparation of the chapel for services, and such. Oh and yes still gorgeous stain glass windows continued throughout.
Then we entered the dining hall. We’d been here before for A Casino Night fund raiser for the care of the hall and observatory. There was a lady that had worked in the kitchen. She told us stories about the girls, nuns, and priests. Seemed many of the girls were children of families that traveled for work. She remembered daughters of circus performers, diplomats, military families, and such. She said she thought they started awfully young, at 5th grade. Hard to be away from your family at that age. School was year round not September – June as it is today. They always sang a Latin prayer before meals and two sisters roamed the dining room watching for proper use of utensils and table manners.
Next for us was the chemistry lab that was built in 1894. It was modeled after a new one installed in Harvard at the time. One of the Sisters came into an inheritance and felt this area of the school needed attention. They did not shy away from teaching the girls science offering classes in astronomy, biology, botany, and chemistry. This was the first chemistry lab in Wisconsin and the best lab outside of Harvard. IN A SCHOOL EXCLUSIVELY FOR GIRLS! I found that amazing! I was very proud of the progressive stance these Nuns took in their education of the girls.
Next was the Tower Stairway to the Observatory built in 1890. We didn’t get to use the stairway as it is close due to not being to today’s code. We used the modern elevator but were allowed to look down it and hear of hopes to renovate it. It was astoundingly beautiful. I can’t imagine climbing those stairs in those long dresses of the time.
Dining hall today with the lady that once worked in the kitchens.
From there we went out onto the astronomy observation deck. Talk about a view of the lake! WHEW! It was lovely. We could look at the aged copper dome over the Griffin Observatory but the actual telescopes were locked. They are now used by the local Carthage College and were secured.
From there we went back down to the floor where the chemistry lab was and looked over the study hall, library, and classrooms. These were all located just above the dining hall. Each student had an assigned school desk in study hall where they kept their books for various classes. Some classes were also held in the Durkee Mansion. The classes often took place in several rooms. The example we were shown were the foreign language rooms. All girls were required to study Latin and another language. There was a classroom sitting where they did their basic classroom studies of the language. There was a conversation room, where the girls would adjourn in small groups with a teacher to converse only in the language being studied. The thought was moving about and changing venue for different aspects of the lesson helped the learning experience.
As always you can click any image to enlarge. This is the the class of 1886 who chose for their class portrait to be in chemistry class. This was before the spiffy new lab. Still the women were studying chemistry back then. Look into the background on the left and you will see diagrams of the human body posted full size in the other room.
Finally we made our way back past the chemistry lab, observatory elevator and out to the Gilbert Simmons Gymnasium built in 1901. NOW I know why people always go on about the Simmons Gym. It’s not like my high school gym oh no! It’s painted beautifully in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry! There’s an ornate balcony where the Sisters observed the gym class. The mural is stunning! It was painted between 1910-1916 under the supervision of the art teacher Edit Bacon. It was drawn by the students and painted by professional painters. The center design has the motto of the school in Latin “fight the good fight” The work on the mural was a gift from the 1915 and 1916 graduating classes. The other dates on the shields were dates that restoration work was done. The other tour members had been to weddings in here and say it’s lovely when fully decorated for a reception.
From there we exited the school and enjoyed looking over the exterior given what we had just learned. Then we gawked at Lake Michigan from the fishing pier. The day was beautiful and many sailboats were making use of it. Another tour group waved to us from the astronomy observation deck. All in all it was an excellent tour and I was glad we went.
Today was the last day to tour the Durkee Mansion here in Kenosha. It’s been decorated for the holiday season. We’ve talked for five of the last seven holiday seasons (two of them we were on active duty in Tampa) we need to go tour the historical structure in our town. However, holiday season happens and it’s never simple and by the time we looked up it was over and the house was closed.
The Kemper Center was built on the Durkee Mansion grounds
We made the effort today, with more presents to wrap but the bulk of the holiday chores done we decided to take time to tour the home. We were justly rewarded for our small effort of getting off the couch and turning off football. Okay that wasn’t a small effort as the two games had Bears in one and the Pack in the other. Still my photography hobby was greatly pleased to see such lovely decorations in a restored Victorian home.
The colorful trim painting I’d expect to see on a Victorian home.
The entrance of the mansion has all the detail painting you’d expect on a Victorian home. Yet I thought the entrance somewhat stark for a Victorian home. Later with talking with a volunteer I learned what it was missing. The once elaborate and breathtakingly ornate wraparound porch with all the lattice work detail of the period is long gone. The plantation windows (the large kind that go to the floor where you walk through them when open) that we saw in the parlor and dining room once opened to this porch. Glimpses as to what the porch looked like can be seen in the early graduation pictures of the Kemper Center School for Girls. They posed on this ornate porch. Today the windows are just large windows with iron grates at the bottom on the outside
These windows once allowed entry and exit to the ornate wrap around porch
The home was said to be a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Durkees were abolitionist. Mr. Durkee’s brother was involved in finding railroad “stops” in the Kenosha area for escaping slaves. The Mansion has a root cellar that is accessible by a trap door in the floor of the pantry. Lore holds this is where the Durkees hid slaves they hosted as a train stop on the route to freedom. Currently the door is under a large pantry armoire and not visible to visitors.
The house isn’t furnished with original furniture. Instead it is furnished with period correct pieces donated by the community. The restoration and care of this lovely home is a community effort. It is so sad that we have missed out on seeing this treasure for so long. The holiday decorations are also donated and done by volunteers. Each room had a podium explaining the room function and listing the volunteers who had decorated it for the holiday. Much of the decoration was Victorian inspired with the heavy draping of many fabrics and the ornate nature of the decorations. It was set to be a feast for the eye. I did enjoy finding areas to highlight with my lens eye and appreciate the efforts of everyone who donated time and materials.
Morning Room or Ladies’ Parlor
The main area of entertaining guests would have been the main floor were the parlors and dining room were located. Then the third floor where the ballroom was located. Unfortunately the ballroom is now closed off and houses the furnace and other mechanicals to service the home. I so would have loved to have seen a restored ballroom decorated to the nines for Christmas. Though it did seem odd to me that the two main entertaining areas were not adjoined but rather required passing through the family’s floor.
The other odd thing to me was the home faces away from the lovely view of Lake Michigan. They must of had a spectacular view sitting there in the middle of their ten acres. Only the bay window in his room can glimpse the lake. I would have highlighted that view from my home and ballroom much like the Vanderbilts did at the Breakers in Newport. Okay maybe not as ornately as the Vanderbilts but orientation wise like they did or the Ringling home in Florida does the Atlantic.
Here is where the Durkees would have hosted their guests.
Back to the main floor. There were three parlors. The guest parlor that would have showcased the best the Durkees had to offer in furniture, decoration, and such. This was to the right of the foyer or entrance hall. The hall was where the guest would have given their cloaks, gloves, and gentlemen doffed their hats. Also calling cards would have been left there by each guest. Straight back from the foyer was the ladies parlor where Mrs. Durkee would have enterained lady vistors. Back and to the right was the gentlemen’s parlor where Mr. Durkee would have entertained male callers. I’m sure much political discussion went on in that room given Mr. Durkee’s career.
All of these parlors were accessible by the Butler’s Walk a hallway that ran through the core of the house and connected with the servant’s hall. I did find the ceiling in the servant’s hall lovely and today it’s where you can view photos of the early graduating classes from Kemper and get a glimpse of the house’s porch.
A stained glass window in the dining room
One of the striking features of the home’s main floor was the stained glass windows. They were glittering with the bright winter light streaming into the dimly lit home. One thing we take for granted now is good lighting. Early light bulbs weren’t as strong as we are used to today. Nor did one light a whole room, instead one lit the area where they were. One of the mad extravagances of George Vanderbilt at his Biltmore home was fully lighting rooms with electrical lights. Still the pleasant cozy dimness highlighted the lovely colors of the glass in the windows. Check out my flickr account for some shots of the other windows.
Going down the free standing stairs
The second floor or family floor held five bedrooms. At the time they lived in the home the Durkees did not have children. Later when the Kemper Center operated the girls school this floor had classrooms, offices, and the Mother Superior’s bedroom. Today they all have been restored to bedrooms. They are lovely but in the interest of space I’ll only highlight two. The one that was the Mother Superior’s bedroom and one I just liked the furniture.
This is the bedroom with the largest fireplace and became the Mother Superior’s bedroom
This is the bedroom the Mother Superior later chose as her bedroom. I can see why on two counts. First it had the largest fireplace so it would be a warm bedroom. Here in the late 1800s I can imagine the winters could be brutally cold and being next to the lake I’m sure the wind was brutal. Next it just outside it’s door was the sitting room for the family area I’m sure that was good place for the students to gather between classes and she would easily keep an eye on them. At least those were my imaginings as I stood in the bedroom doorway. It was also a good sized room but not large like the master bedroom so I’m sure it was a nice size to be her private area. There are more pictures of the room on my flickr feed so click on any image in this post and go over to look about.
I loved this bed and thought the headboard and foot board were just beautiful!
The other bedroom I just thought the bed was lovely. It was decorated as a ladies room but there were men’s riding boots by the fireplace. **waggles eyebrows** What lovely horseman put his boots by her fire? **wink wink** Really who can’t see lovely decorated Victorian homes and not fall into a romance novel state of mind? Okay guys I get it you can do it but even I, the not really a romance reader gal, couldn’t help it.
The pump frame there is only for decoration this was a true dry sink from the original house
Now back down the stairs to the servant’s areas. I didn’t get any pictures in the pantry where the root cellar hatch is because the room was very small and often crowded given the historical significance of it. I did get a shot of ceiling in the servant’s hall. The floor was also very attractive being striped by alternating light wood with dark wood in the hardwood floor. This was a wide hallway where the servants would gather outside the small kitchen where the dry sink was located.
What’s a dry sink you ask. Well ignore that pump handle and spout there it’s just decoration. A dry sink had no water and no drain. You went out to the pump and carried in the water. You washed the dishes in the water you heated on the stove there in the dry sink pans. When you were finished you carried the dirty water outside. Thus the sink was truly a dry sink just a place to hold the dishpans.
Simmons Gym built in 1910
That concluded our tour of the home. On the way out I made a few pictures of the Kemper Center grounds including the Simmon’s gym built in 1910. The school was a very progressive one for women. The nuns taught chemistry, physics, horseback riding, pottery making, and many other things. The gym even included bowling alleys. The classes were small at the most 24 girls. The girls lived in dorms on the grounds. A woman who graduated from Kemper was well educated and knowledgeable about many things. They were finished ladies.
A real wild red fox strolls down the sidewalk in town.
Just as we were getting in the truck to go home I spotted a red fox, yes a real wild red fox strolling down the sidewalk of this historic lake front community. We sat in the car and watched him for a bit. The lady walking on the other side of the street paused to watch him trot along occasionally stopping to sniff here or pee there (gotta mark territory ya know). It was an odd thing to see as we can’t recall any woods near there for him to live. I guess he was just like us enjoying a day out in the sun with no snow and temps that weren’t really cold by Wisconsin December’s standards.
As I’ve said multiple times in this post there are more photos on my flickr account. You can also view larger sizes of any of these by clicking on them and going to that account. Also as always I’d LOVE to hear from you. You can comment here, e-mail me at any of my e-mail accounts (marylouiseeklund at gmail or yahoo) or tweet me @marylouiseklund. I’m also on Google+ as myself but you won’t get me on Facebook. My old account there is there but it’s dead. Until next time – Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and hope life’s treating you well.
Mary Louise Eklund 