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Built in 1874 on a
hill overlooking the Turkey River Valley, Montauk was
named by Mrs. Larrabee for the lighthouse at the eastern
end of Long Island that guided her sea-captain father
home from his whaling voyages. A widow's walk, like
those used by the wives of sea captains to watch for
ships, crowns the roof and gives a dramatic view of the
Turkey Valley.
Surrounded by
over 100,000 pine trees that Larrabee planted, the
14-room mansion is built of brick molded of native clay
and kiln at Clermont. On the 46-acre grounds, where once
peacocks strutted and turkeys roosted in the trees at
night, are flower gardens and statues of Civil War
heroes. Montauk was also a working farm with barns, farm
animals, an orchard, and grain fields.
Montauk
reflects the wealth and lofty status of its occupants.
Larrabee traveled widely and decorated his home with
curios and souvenirs. Visitors today can see Tiffany
lamps, Wedgewood china, statues from Italy, music boxes
from Switzerland, a large collection of paintings, and
thousands of books. Each room has a marble sink, and
most of the rooms are filled with paintings, marble
busts, and statues.
Still, Montauk
is modest compared to the homes of other similarly
prominent leaders of Iowa and the nation. This
simplicity is a product of the Larrabees' conservative
New England background.
Because the
house was lived in continuously for nearly one hundred
years, the furnishings and appliances reflect changes in
technology and style over time. Newer furnishings mix
with older ones: in the kitchen, for example, a 1900
wood stove stands near a 1950s dishwasher. The Larrabee
family was progressive in its use of technology. The
house was built with central heat, a recent innovation
at that time. Other new conveniences were added as soon
as they were available - the telephone in 1900, and
electricity in 1910.
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