On Bellevue Avenue, several blocks from The Breakers, is Newport’s most elegant mansion, The Elms. This 1901 French chateau was the summer home of Pennsylvania coal baron Edward Julius Berwind, his wife Sarah, and later, his sister Julia. This two-story 60,000 square foot home, overlooking Newport Harbor, had been the setting for numerous balls and society gatherings for sixty summers. While the Berwinds never spent a Christmas in The Elms (they lived in Philadelphia), the Preservation Society has each year re-created the spirit of Christmas for today’s visitors with stunning trees, colorful lights, delicate ornaments, live poinsettias, and displays of antique toys and art from the early 1900s. One of the most popular attractions is the expansive one-of-a-kind Nativity scene displayed on the heavy marble table on the home’s second floor landing. It features some fifty animals and figurines of merchants, shepherds, and wise men all gathered around Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus lying in his manger.
This winter’s Christmas at The Elms also included self-guided tours and guide-led tours of the mansion’s main floors, as well as a Servant Life Tour exploring the lifestyle and lives of the Berwinds’ staff, many who lived on the third floor of the house.
This winter’s Christmas at The Elms also included self-guided tours and guide-led tours of the mansion’s main floors, as well as a Servant Life Tour exploring the lifestyle and lives of the Berwinds’ staff, many who lived on the third floor of the house.