The Downton Abbey of the SouthCoast

Julian Fellowes’ characters enjoyed a regal lifestyle in the dramatic, albeit fictional, British television series, filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England; however, do you realize that the residents of Fall River’s Highlands District were enjoying similar pleasures and amenities at least a decade before the period in which the show is based?

The city of Fall River, known for its textiles among many other specialties, watched as American industrialists, with great wealth, built monstrous factories, employed thousands upon thousands of immigrants, and shipped their products worldwide.

With such growth came vast rewards. During the late 19th century, and into its turn, the community’s affluent socialites were thirsting for luxury and the opportunity to display their wealth and extravagance; it was a time of prosperity that accommodated a need to exhibit success by building the most opulent home as possible. 

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