Links

Check out these links for more information on some of the places and buildings in the Ashmore’s Folly Trilogy:

  • Monticello. One of the great architectural heritage sites still standing. What does it say about my love for this house that my main concern, when watching the asteroid “end of the world” thriller Deep Impact, was whether the wave would reach high enough and inland enough to swallow Jefferson’s masterpiece? I know, I’m weird. Check out the summerhouse where Laura and Richard have “the talk,” and take a look at Jefferson’s bed. Yes, a 6′ man actually slept in that thing. Be sure to check out the picture gallery to see some of the rooms that Laura and Richard tour.
  • Colonial Williamsburg. Be prepared to walk. Visit Bruton Parish, go to the courthouse, and peek into the Governor’s Palace “supper room” (because you didn’t call it a ballroom unless you were prepared to pay the ballroom tax). Be very glad that the Rockefellers rescued this little village from disintegration and preserved it for the rest of us.
  • Newport, Rhode Island. See how the 1% of the Gilded Age slummed it during the summer, and try to guess which mansion is the basis for the Great Lakes Shipping heiress’s revenge on her mother-in-law (the Folly at Ashmore Park).
  • James River Plantations. I did not base Ashmore Magna on any of these — the inspiration for that house is on the James but far away from these. I did steal an architectural idea from one of these, though. One of these is the basis for Ashmore Minor, where Diana finally achieves her great fantasy.
  • Palladian Architecture in North America. Brief introduction to the influence of Palladio in American architecture, particularly in Virginia. Click this link also for a very familiar-looking building (the basis for Monticello).