Heavy rain Wednesday night and into Thursday damaged roads throughout the Capital Region and western Massachusetts. The downpours also wreaked havoc on historic gardens in Lenox.
Workers at The Mount, the 50-acre estate of the late author and humanitarian Edith Wharton, found what they call heartbreak Thursday morning. Five inches of rain washed away nearly two feet of walkway limestone, revealing quarry rubble laid by the Whartons more than a century ago.
“Redo the pathway, redo the garden beds and time is of the essence because the gardens are a focal point of a lot of what we do including our fairly robust wedding business,” said Susan Wissler, the Mount's executive director.
Home to some 100 species, the French flower garden is buried in eight inches of debris, according to Wissler. The Mount spends roughly $120,000 on ground upkeep. Wissler says they will raise money to restore the damaged areas.