This room was the original dining room. Although much smaller than the dining room added on later, this room still boasted decorative moldings (look up to see some of the original molding), and conveniences such as a dumbwaiter, which was located in the butler’s pantry (the small room leading into the later dining room). The dumbwaiter accessed the kitchen located directly below this room, and allowed employees to send food and tableware between the two rooms. When the 1876 dining room was added, a new dumbwaiter was placed in the small closet on the right hand side of that room.
The Willard and Case families were extremely wealthy. In addition to opulent furnishings and decorations, they were able to afford many modern conveniences in their home, including the dumbwaiters. Dr. Willard’s diary notes such purchases as a refrigerator, a washing machine, and a Bundy burglar alarm.
The Willards employed a staff of domestic workers, some of whom remained with the family for many years. Anna McComb served as a housekeeper for 40 years, Frank Finch as a coachman for 30 years, and Sarah Salvage as a cook for 25 years. Some lived on the estate, others in areas nearby. In an entry to his diary in 1876, Sylvester Willard writes that Mrs. McComb earned $3 a week when her children were boarding in the mansion with her, but her wages climbed to $6 a week when her children stayed elsewhere.
Along with a regular staff of servants, Sylvester Willard’s diary contains records of various people in the community who were hired for day work, such as ironing or cleaning the grounds.
