"At the bottom of the hill a little glade opened on the right, and--yes, there it was, the round lily pond: but dry now with grass bending over its edge. He looked at it, and suddenly it was full of water, and children stood around it in the sunlight. On its surface sailed a tiny frigate--a present from far-away England--with all sails set and flying the white ensign, followed by a beautiful sailing sloop; he waded in to rescue the frigate when it drove into the lilies. He looked again, and the pool was dry. He went on in the moonlight."
Sheldon Vanauken, A Severe Mercy, Prologue: Glenmerle Revisited
is this really the Glenmerle pond? I heard the estate was leveled and urban sprawl turned it into a parking lot. If it is, please tell me how you know this for a fact (as well as the pic of the home) since it was such a closely held secret of Van's. A Severe Mercy is my favorite book and would love to learn more about this magicaly place! thanks. Jim Craft mcgrad96@gmail.com 206-255-3760
ReplyDeleteYes, this is really the Glenmerle pond. It is true, the house is no longer standing, but the property was never covered with a parking lot. I discovered the location of Glenmerle by a series of steps. I knew, after meeting Van in 1996 that he had attended Wabash College because he told me. So from that time on I also knew that Glenmerle was near Indianapolis. When I visited Van's former school, Staunton Military Academy, and saw his student information card, I then learned his parents' home address and found that they lived in Carmel, Indiana. Then with the help of a local historian, I found the former location of the house. I described the house to the historian who then took me to the location where it had stood. He had walked through the house when it was still standing. The property is now owned by the Woodland Country Club and is part of their golf course. While walking on the course, one of the gardeners told us that the house had been collapsed and buried underneath one of the holes. He was the one who also indicated to us the original pond. The position of everything on the property fit with Van's description in ASM. When I visited the location, remains of the fence and gateposts were still there as well. The same historian helped me locate someone who lived in the house after the Vanaukens. She confirmed that her parents had bought the property from the Vanaukens. And she was the one who gave me the photos of Glenmerle. The house as she described it, and the grounds and house as depicted in the photos, fit perfectly with Van's description in ASM. All of this is documented in my biography of Van.
ReplyDeleteAmazing to see these photos!
ReplyDeleteSeth Johnson
Amazing to see these photos!
ReplyDeleteSeth Johnson
Glad you liked them!
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased to find this. I have just recently discovered A Severe Mercy and was so curious to see if any of the beautifully described Glenmerle estate was intact.
ReplyDeleteThe house has not been leveled; our family owns it. It has been rebuilt/fixed and expanded (it was note well taken care of over the last 50 years). Will Vaus can attest as I have communicate with him as recently as late 2022. For those enjoying the book or anything else where this house is mentioned, Sheldon's childhood summer home most certainly still exists.
ReplyDelete