Chateau-sur-Mer

Tour one of the first Bellevue Avenue mansions from the Gilded Age.

Chateau-sur-Mer is an opulent Victorian mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, full of period furniture. This Italianate-style mansion was built for William Shepard Wetmore, a China trade merchant. When Wetmore died in 1862, he left everything to his son, George Peabody Wetmore. He also left his daughter, Annie Derby Wetmore, a generous inheritance. George got married to Edith Keteltas, and in the 1870s, they took a long trip to Europe. While they were away, the architect, Richard Morris Hunt, remodeled and redecorated the entire house matching the Second Empire French style. The couple had two daughters, Edith and Maude. George Peabody Wetmore had a long and notable political career as the Governor of Rhode Island and a United States Senator.

This estate was used as a summer home for the Wetmore family. The wallpapers, ceramics, stenciling, and furniture were the best of their time, and many notable events occurred here. For example, the family once hosted a picnic for more than 2,000 people in 1857, and their daughter's debutante ball was held here in 1889. Chateau-sur-Mer encompasses 35 acres and was constructed out of stone instead of wood like many other estates in Newport. You can take a tour of this place between 10 am and 5 pm on Saturdays or Sundays from the end of May through June, and it is also open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in July. Chateau-sur-Mer means "Castle by the Sea," and it is always worth a visit.