When friends and family visited the Douglas family at Brucemore in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, they had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and grace of the mansion's public spaces. Upon arriving, guests would pass through graceful iron gates and enter a 33-acre wonderland. Outside, they could explore a duck pond, swimming pool, tennis courts, and large formal gardens. Inside, guests would be greeted in the mansion's great hall with its warm colors, rich fabrics, and dramatic mural. While friends and family enjoyed this extravagant home, they probably did not give much thought to the work that went into maintaining this privileged lifestyle.

Domestic servants were integral to the sophistication and decorum, much less the functionality, of the Brucemore estate. Their work touched every part of the estate. The 21 rooms in the mansion needed to be dusted and swept, and the carpets and furniture cleaned. The children required supervision. Laundry had to be done. There were meals to be cooked, dishes to be cleaned, and silver to be polished. The large lawn had to be trimmed and the garden weeded. The family's farm animals required food and care. Carriages and cars needed maintenance.

During the years that the Douglas family made Brucemore their home, 10 or more people maintained the mansion and grounds at any given time. These people allowed members of the family to pursue hobbies, artistic work, and community service. Understanding the lives of these important, yet virtually unseen residents allows one to explore the "back stairs at Brucemore."
 
                                                                                ******

"Help Wanted: Working at Brucemore, 1907 - 1937" opened in the Brucemore Visitor Center on August 17, 2000.  The exhibition of artifacts and photographs explores the lives of those who worked on the historic estate during the Douglases’ years of occupancy.

Domestic servants and groundskeepers were fundamental to the estate’s operation.  The ideal of a self-sufficient country estate--a pleasant retreat for its owners--rested on the reality of hard work.  While many middle-class families employed a "maid-of-all-work," wealthier families could afford larger staffs of more specialized workers.  The size of the Brucemore estate (approximately 33 acres) and the lifestyle of the family required one of the largest staffs in the city.  The Douglases employed nannies, coachmen (and later, chauffeurs), gardeners, groundskeepers, maids, cooks, butlers, and laundresses.

As a group, the staff left scattered records of their lives at Brucemore.  Family check registers, correspondence, oral histories, and scrapbooks provide a few names and faces.  In most cases, no other information is available.  A few people, however, are well documented.  Three in particular are featured in "Help Wanted": head gardener Archie White; chauffeur Bert Batten; and nanny Ella "Danny" McDannel.

The Douglases hired Archie White in 1921.  Archie, with wife Jeanie and children Agnes and Edward, lived in the servants’ duplex at Brucemore.  This arrangement afforded his family some privacy, while keeping Archie close to the estate operations.  The elaborate O.C. Simonds landscape required dedication and skill of the gardeners.  For sixteen years Archie maintained Brucemore’s plantings with the unwaivering confidence of Irene Douglas.

Albert Batten was born in London and immigrated to the United States in 1912.  As the family’s chauffeur for over twenty years, Bert’s duties included maintenance and repair of the vehicles.  His job required accompanying the family on vacation.  Several of Bert’s relatives also worked for the Douglases.  His brother Alfred served as the butler, while Alfred’s wife Ivy worked as a maid and cook for the family.  Two other brothers, his sisters, and nieces occasionally filled in at Brucemore.

Perhaps no other employee was as close to the Douglases as Ella McDannel, called "Danny the Nanny" by the children.  Ella was born in Montgomery County, Iowa in 1871, the same year as Irene Douglas.  Ella graduated from St. Luke’s nurses’ training program in 1897.  The Douglases hired her in 1909, shortly after their third daughter, Barbara, was born.  With her room located on the second floor of the mansion, Ella lived and worked just a few feet from the Douglases’ private suite.  Though an employee, she became a friend and confidante to Irene Douglas.  As the nanny, she had daily contact with the family.  Her diary and scrapbooks offer unique views of life on the estate.  This remarkable relationship with the family bridged the gap between employee and friend.

Artifacts from the period punctuate the stories of the servants.  The exhibition includes a reel mower, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, and ironing board, all on loan from The History Center.  These artifacts are examples of tools and technology that altered the daily chores of Americans in the early 20th century.  In addition, the exhibition boasts a workshop area where visitors can examine copies of diary entries, check registers, and other primary sources.