Curious Objects & The Stories Behind Them

In this episode, Ben digs into the history of Beauport, the Gilded-Age mansion perched on a rock ledge overlooking Massachusetts’s Gloucester Harbor. Built by Henry Davis Sleeper, one of the country’s first interior designers, it was conceived as a house-sized Valentine for the statesman and economist Piatt Andrew, the object of Sleeper’s (unrequited) affections. Vin Cipolla, president and CEO of Historic New England, which stewards the house today; the institution’s curator of collections Erica Lome; and writer and curator R. Tripp Evans feature. Additional music by @JackIsidore @SamGriffinGuitar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices