Untold Histories

In this installment of Untold Histories, explore the relics of the Fricks' extensive annunciator system. This network of call bells connected the family to its staff and offers a glimpse into the rhythms of domestic service at 1 East 70th Street.

Housekeeper Minerva Stone is integral to the story of those who kept the Fricks’ Gilded Age home running. Though no personal accounts survive, we can paint a picture of Stone’s larger biography, lending context to the years she spent at the crossroads of her employer’s immense wealth and majority-immigrant staff.

In this entry, we meet Minerva Stone, who occupied the post of housekeeper for nearly the entire time Henry Clay Frick lived at 1 East 70th Street. Stone oversaw the management of the family’s new home with meticulous attention to detail, eventually becoming the second highest-paid member of the household staff.

The debut post of "Untold Histories" introduces the behind-the-scenes staff of the Frick residence, a private home from 1914–31. Associate Museum Educator Caitlin Henningsen considers what remains of this domestic life in the museum today and examines the 1915 state census entry that inspired this ongoing project.