August Beaune was sixty-five years old when the Civil War ended. His eldest son, Robert, was dead; his younger son, John, was a wastrel; his three daughters (Therese, Catherine and Isabelle) had failed to attract suitors and were now doomed to spinsterhood. Marie-Helene was hooked on laudanum and spent most days in her room, except for mealtimes, when she emerged long enough to thoroughly ruin the meal for everyone else.
Mary, Auguste's childhood governess, who had lived and traveled with the family through their epic journey, died in her sleep at the ripe old age of eighty-five.
Thanks to his substantial wealth, and also thanks to the charms of Daisy Birtwhistle, Auguste Beaune more or less ignored these setbacks and continued to build his manor.
Initially inspired by Ruskin's vision of Venetian Gothic, Beaune constructed the ground floor of brick and terracotta. While planning the second floor, he became increasingly enamored of the so-called Hindu Gothic style prevalent in the British Empire, so he added ornamental elephants and Buddhist-style room treatments to the turrets at each corner of the building.
The resultant structure is considered by some to be a brilliant stylistic hybrid, while others consider it to be a mish-mash.
In Ticklish Rock, a town several miles to the West, Beaune built a summer home, a forty-three room cottage in the Second Empire style. Therese, Catherine and Isabelle moved in soon thereafter. They were so fond of the place that Beaune promised them that they could live there as long as they wished.
Meanwhile, the Beaune Valve Works boomed. More craftsmen and managers moved to town, and Beaune built more homes for them. South of Main, the homes were mostly cottages, but North of Main the homes were larger and more ornate, a mix of Second Empire and Stick styles.
Workmen brought families, and children needed schools; in the next exhibit, you can see the plan for Beauneville Grammar School, a private academy endowed by Beaune and open at first to all of the boys in Beauneville. After considerable nagging, Beaune agreed to let girls attend, too.
