Wyndhurst was a grand place, truly picture perfect.

Never more so than one pleasant June weekend in 1909, when H. Curtis Rowley and his wife, Thirza Merriam Rowley, publishers of Merriam-Webster dictionaries, opened to the public, the grounds of Wyndhurst, the family?rescent Hill estate in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Like all events in their lives, the charity bazaar was documented in the family?ay Book, a meticulous handwritten record of Wyndhurst activities, large and small, from 1893 to the day World War I ended.

H. Curtis (who called himself H.C.R. in the Day Book - shunning always the first name Hiram) wrote on June 11, 1909, "The great event ?derland?s held..... our stables all being surrounded by a high fence of white sheeting and brilliantly lighted by electricity. The stable was used for dancing.... The attractions were numberless - a varitable ?way?patronized by thousands from the city and surrounding towns."

Indeed, accounts in Springfield newspapers indicate "Wonderland" was a charitable event of some importance, even in a city known for its leading citizens?nerosity to Pioneer Valley causes. This was the generation that took seriously civic responsibilities. Building dedications became, for some, nearly a full-time occupation as libraries, museums, schools and hospitals were founded.

Among vendors on the "midway" at the "Wonderland" charity bazaar was older son Harold Rowley, graduated from Phillips Academy at Andover in 1898. He was selling autographs he had collected from the rich and famous worldwide, to whom he had written explaining their noteworthy signatures would help raise money for charity.

Harold did not overcharge. For a mere five or ten cents, collectors could buy signatures - from the likes of Wilhelm I to the last king of Ethiopia. Some monarchs sent extra autographs. The duplicates were sold years later by Harold?ounger brother, Arthur Merriam Rowley. He used the money to start a collection of rare stamps, which Rowley descendents maintain to the present day.

On those June days in 1909, the Rowleys?ur-storey, 23-room Victorian gothic house - backdrop to the bazaar?ooths - was the architectural treasure set in the middle of three beautifully-designed acres. Wyndhurst?awns and gardens, laid out by famous landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted, overlooked Springfield below. One could see the steeple of Old First Church, Court Square in the distance with the misty Connecticut River valley beyond, toward Holyoke and Mt. Tom.

Beside drinking in lovely vistas, guests that day could have a cool drink and wander from booth to booth (the women most likely wearing white linen) or walk along garden paths to admire hundreds of roses and rare imported trees, for which gardener John J.Carroll could take a bow. As the estate?ead gardener, he also earned top prizes annually for the then-famous Wyndhurst chrysanthemums.

Bouquets of them, from Thirza, were delivered every autumn to the sick and infirm as well as to wives of Springfield dignitaries. The list of recipients recorded in the Day Book read like a Who?ho in Springfield society at the time: "Mrs. Samuel Bowles, Mrs. R. W. Brokaw, Mrs. Harry Chapin, Mrs. Julius H. Appleton, Mrs. Courtlandt Southworth, The Stebbins, Mrs. Mase Southworth, Mrs. Harry Rice, The Misses Wills, Mrs. Frank Young, The Southworth Nieces, The Women? Club, South Church" -- and, last not least, bouquets to numerous Merriam and Rowley women (maiden aunts, cousins and nieces).

Some of those same Springfield people, the Stebbinses and Southworths in particular, whose land adjoined the Rowleys, also opened their lawns to the bazaar?isitors. It is likely during that June weekend many strolled across Wyndhurst?arpet-like lawn to sit in the shaded "summer house" -- an exotic (faux oriental) bentwood circular gazebo that seemed to be perched in treetops at the side of the hill, like some fanciful human-sized birdhouse. Despite designing sides open to summer breezes, the Victorian architect managed to add miniature stained glass windows, decorative touches to the whimsical structure.

Wyndhurst (architect: Calvert Vaux of New York) was set on prime real estate, no doubt about it. The family paid the highest property taxes in the city of Springfield -- $1,000 annually: a virtually unheard-of amount then. Apparently it was worth the price. In an 1897 interview for a Chicago paper, one South American businessman who had visited Wyndhurst as guest of the Springfield Board of Trade, was quoted as saying, "Wyndhurst is the most beautiful spot we visited in the U.S."

Many distinguished visitors who came to Springfield stopped to view Wyndhurst?rounds, gardens and evidently incomparable view. Among them were Booker T. Washington, black educator; John Burroughs, naturalist; William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, entertainer and William McKinley, 25th president of the United States.

The Day Book entry for June 21,1899 documents, in H.C.R.?recise script, President McKinley?isit to Wyndhurst. "Thirza and H.C.R. were of the party which went to Holyoke on the "Mascot?oat) and escorted President and Mrs. McKinley by water to Springfield. The presidential party in a dozen or so carriages drove through our grounds. The president remarked to Mayor Gilmore, ?s is superb. I wonder if Mr. Rowley would sell me a building lot here?mp;quot;

Because of McKinley?ntimely death by assassination in1901, one will never know if he might have spent his declining years on Crescent Hill in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Unfortunately also for every crusader on behalf of historic preservation, the unthinkable happened to Wyndhurst in the1920s. One might speculate that if a president had lived there, Wyndhurst would have survived. Instead, the house was torn down during the ?ring? twenties by Alfred Chapin, a local industrialist who built a larger, modern, brick house on the property - also later torn down. Today contemporary condominiums stand on the spot. They are called Wyndhurst, but mispronounced. The correct pronounciation is ?e-hurst.?l that remains of the original estate is the stable/carriage house (owned today by John P. Isenburg) and, of course, the same spectacular view of the river and beyond.

But all is not lost. Architecture and history buffs can console themselves that the Merriams and Rowleys, ? dictionary family,? documented every positive detail, in word and picture, of their priviledged existence at Wyndhurst. Articles at the time in National Geographic and regional magazines also are on record touting the estate?ppeal.

It is a story worth telling. With sons Harold and Arthur, numerous maiden aunts, servants, butler, cook, cook?elpers, chamber maids, gardeners, groomsmen, livery, baby nurses, a daughter-in-law, grandchildren -- all under one roof at various times, the Rowleys of Wyndhurst lived the American version of an "upstairs/downstairs" lifestyle.

It was not dissimilar to the life portrayed two decades ago in the British Broadcasting Corporation production of the same name. In fact, there was mention made during the television serial of one London household member being houseguest for a time in "America in Springfield, Massachusetts." Where else would such a person stay but Wyndhurst? Pity it was a fictional television drama.

Wyndhurst, however, was real, with plenty to prove it. Some have speculated that the Rowleys were one of the most well-documented families in America, that was not presidential. One is reminded however, the far wealthier Astors and Vanderbilts, also not presidential, kept meticulous, copious records.

The Wyndhurst Day Book, family correspondence, news clippings, baby books and personal diaries - as well as the series of 40 George Van Norman photographs, which Thirza gave to H. Curtis as a 25th-wedding anniversary gift, Dec. 2, 1899, combine to form a remarkably-preserved record of the Rowley/Merriam family at the turn of the century.

The Dec. 2, 1899 anniversary entry reads, "Twenty fifth anniversary of our wedding. Thirza surprised H.C.R. with forty or more large mounted photographs of Wyndhurst - interior and exterior views - including some beautiful ones of the grounds, summer houses, greenhouse, stable, etc. H.C.R.?resent to Thirza was a silver and glass loving cup suitably inscribed. A happy anniversary breakfast followed the presentations."

The volume of material penned by family members is a testament to their fondness for the written word - their own, as much as those of famous poets, authors, dignitaries and heads of publishing houses worldwide. In short, the Rowleys of Wyndhurst not only wrote letters to relatives, friends, kings, presidents and personalities all over the world, but they also assiduously documented their own daily lives.

Frank Habit, who became a devoted student of Victorian society while studying American architectural history at Harvard, considers the Wyndhurst Day Book to be among the finest original sources he has seen.

Talking from his home in Malden, Massachusetts, Habit commented, "Day Books, household diaries, were not uncommon in that era. The Rowleys, however, kept an unusually thorough record. They are almost obsessed with recording their lives, addicted to writing down everything," said Habit, smiling - apparently grateful for the Rowley diligence.

Habit went on to talk about one of Wyndhurst?ncommon features. "Wyndhurst was in the city, but offered the advantages of a relaxed atmosphere and country living. It was near Mr. Rowley?lace of business (G.&C. Merriam Co., of which he was president), but offered the comforts of rural life. They saw deer walking across their front lawn and had noted 77 varieties of bird life in the Day Book. Yet Wyndhurst was close enough to town to have conveniences of urban living: church, shops, business. On the other hand, there was the fresh air of Crescent Hill."

"The Rowleys were actually very quiet people," continued Habit. "They took only one long trip - to Bermuda. Most of their activities were close to home. But there was no shortage of excitement. Interesting people did visit. Anytime anyone of note came to Springfield, they were taken to Wyndhurst. The Rowleys were one of the preeminent families in the city. And people certainly would have seen Mrs. Rowley coming, whenever she ventured out. It would have been noticed," he commented, referring to the fact that Thirza Rowley was not unknown in her adopted city.

Nevertheless, despite outings and well-known visitors, the Rowleys lives were rather placid, Habit noted. "That may explain why they did so much writing. They had time. Thirza did not have to clean up after ladies?ncheons she hosted (called pink or yellow or red luncheons, according to the color theme of invitations, decorations, favors and floral centerpieces). At one point," continued Habit, referring to leisure Crescent Hill residents enjoyed, "The family - probably with the help of gardeners - counted roses in bloom on the property up into the thousands. They certainly had time to enjoy Wyndhurst and its grounds."

And there was evidently a lot of love in the house, despite the household?ften Victorian formalities. As Habit remarked, "H. Curtis and Thirza do seem to have been very happy. A soft side shows when H. Curtis was writing about Thirza. He lavished presents on her and seemed more demonstrative than she was."

Habit believes that this was not lack of love for her husband, but rather might be explained by Thirza?onstant illness from a chronic disease (unnamed in the Day Book), which she contracted before she met her husband. They met in Troy, NY, where the young Thirza Merriam had been at a sanitorium. During their marriage, according to Day Book records, Thirza would spend weeks at a time in a sanitorium in Jamaica Plain, sorely missed by H. Curtis.

Descendant Douglas Steade Rowley, 85, (the only living family member who resided at Wyndhurst) currently of California and New England, surmises that his grandmother had tuburculosis and that probably her leisurely life combined with the fresh air of Wyndhurst allowed her to live into her 70s. It was known that a stress-free life was the only cure at the time.

In a recent phone interview with Rowley from his home in California, the hale and hearty octogenarian, whose father Arthur died in 1979 at age 96, spoke of his memories as a young child at Wyndhurst.

"It was said to have been the most beautiful estate in Springfield, but I was too young to remember all the dignitaries who came to visit. What I recall is being wheeled - or maybe carried - out to the summer house at the edge of the hill. They held me up to the stained glass windows and I could look out over the city of Springfield and see it ?color? reflected through the tinted glass," recalled Rowley.

The ultimate, perhaps in rose-colored glass - for a gilded age.

"There were so many aunts around - that is to say aunt with a ?" jokes Rowley, "that I think I was probably a very well taken care of child."

Asked about his family?enchant for writing, Rowley said, "Ours is a family interested in details. We were in the book business, really the word business through the dictionary."

He is also grateful for the photos, the ones which make up the current exhibit in Springfield. He and his younger sister, the late Earla Rowley Carson, both born into Wyndhurst (to great jubulation, according to Day Book accounts on August 26, 1913 and August 13, 1916), kept the 40 photographs that Thirza gave H. Curtis on their 25th wedding anniversary.

A professional photographer by trade, Rowley said of the collection, "The photographs are excellent, just excellent! A great many families didn?eep records like that. The baby and toddler pictures of my sister and me on the grounds were taken at Wyndhurst in 1917 by a Miss Stanley - the top children?hotographer of the era. She would come to homes and spend all day. Those portraits, in the exhibition, are originals from my sister?aby book."

"My grandfather walked to work, in those days," added Rowley. "At the time the dictionary company was at the corner of State and Main in downtown Springfield. Later, after my sister was born, my father used to say that the only time he got any sleep was walking to work," laughed Rowley.

"Did you know that my great grandfather Merriam sent free copies of Merriam-Webster dictionaries and Merriam-imprint books all over the world to important people. It was a way of advertising in those days. They sent them to royalty too. Unfortunately the Merriam brothers had never saved copies for themselves. Older books went out of print. When grandfather Rowley (H. Curtis) became president of the company, he let it be known he wanted to buy back old books, primers and dictionaries with the Merriam imprint, to acquire a complete collection."

"My father, Arthur, inherited the collection and passed it on to my sister Earla and me. Now that collection of rare books, which we donated, is in Sturbridge, Massachusetts at Old Sturbridge Village in a re-created Merriam print shop, still on view today. Crawford Lincoln, formerly with the dictionary company, brought the Merriam-books display to Sturbridge," noted Rowley, adding that the original papers from the Merriam brothers to Noah Webster are housed in the Yale University archives because of Yale?onnection to original dictionary compiler Noah Webster.

The dictionary company was founded by Homer, George and Charles Merriam in Brookfield, Massachusetts in the early 1840s. Their purchase of the right to publish from Noah Webster undoubtedly paved the way to Wyndhurst, as the Merriams prospered. They were frequent visitors to the estate in Springfield as well as occasional residents. And most of the Merriams were buried in Springfield in the family plot at Oak Grove Cemetery.

The good life, as the Rowleys knew it on Crescent Hill - made possible by two generations of hard-working book publishers and by Merriam son-in-law, H. Curtis Rowley - ended in the early 1920s. The couple became too infirm to enjoy the lifestyle and moved to a smaller (twelve room) house. But there remained photographs and volumes of words by which to recall their hey-day in a house boasting everything from a billiard room with a cloth ??iling to a front hall with button-tufted silk on the walls.

Younger son, Arthur, who shunned ostentation all of his 96 years, reportedly referred to the Wyndhurst front hall as ? padded cell,? But when Chapin razed the original house, that was the one room he left standing, choosing to build his new house around it. Wyndhurst furniture went to the Wesson mansion - as in Smith and Wesson - on Maple Street. It later housed Springfield?olony Club, until the Wesson building burned to the ground in1966.

But opulent as Wyndhurst?nterior appears in photographs, that is not what visitors to Wyndhurst remembered most. Rather it was outdoor vistas (also preserved in photographs), a memory perhaps best captured in the words of a blind man, recalling sight of it before he lost his vision. Day Book entry, Wednesday, May 5, 1909:

"Mrs. Clarice J. Parsons related the following: On a Cunard Steamer, she became acquainted with F.E. Cleaveland, principal and Secretary of Columbia Polytechnic Institute of Washington, D.C. (which promotes employment of the adult blind). Instead of a Sunday sermon on shipboard, he gave an address in which he mentioned how he gradually became blind and before becoming totally so - his having visited certain localities to impress their attractions on his mind. He said that one of the last places he visited and which was impressed on his mind was Crescent Hill in Springfield, Massachusetts. "

At the end of the passage, H. Curtis Rowley wrote, "No doubt Wyndhurst. H.C.R."