MAYOWOOD

We live in an historical home ( The Plummer House ) and act as Resident Directors ( see the Plummer House page under the header). We also belong to a group called "Friends of Mayowood and other Historical Homes". The goal of the group is to help preserve historical homes in Rochester, of which Mayowood is the first priority.

Mayowood is the former home of Dr Charlie Mayo, one of the founders of the world famous Mayo Clinic. The home is now owned by the Mayo Clinic but this group helps to raise funds for the restoration of the furnishings inside the home.

Portrait of Dr Charlie Mayo

Related Note: My brush with fame: When I was in 9th grade, one of my best friend's father was a friend of Dr. Mayo ( son of the original Dr Mayo ). My friend and her family were moving out of town so the Mayo family held a going away party for them and I received an official invitation. It was quite a BIG DEAL to receive an invitation to a party at Mayowood! Whenever they held a party there, they would always invite any celebrity that was going through the clinic at the time. And this time it was none other than...drum roll please...Ed Sullivan! Hahaha...Some of you "youngens" out there may not have heard of him. Ed Sullivan was a big deal himself back in the day. He had a show on TV that showcased the latest talent and on the last show before the Mayowood party, he had The Beatles on his show! So my friend and I figured that this would be the closest we would come to "meeting the Beatles"... if we could just shake the hand that shook the hand of the Beatles! It was a stretch but meeting Ed Sullivan, the celebrity, was OK too! Oh, yes, and we can't forget meeting the Mayo family!

I volunteered at the Mayowood Tour and Mum Show last Fall. I was able to capture a few photos but there is so much more to see!

Library

Breakfast room overlooking courtyard...notice the Mums

Formal dining room

There are several massive mirrors in the home. This is in the front hall. The Mayo family picked up several of these huge mirrors in Mexico

Living room.

Every Fall  back in the years when the family lived here, the Mayos would purchase thousands of Mums and hold a Mum show. This 2014 event was held also as a Mum show to commemorate this past regular event.

The Green Room, Office, was formerly an outdoor patio.

Beautiful Wedgewood china 

One of the many beautiful chandeliers.

If you are visiting Rochester this home is a "must see", along with the historical home that we live in, The Plummer House.  Both are homes of the Drs that started the Mayo Clinic. We feel blessed to be a part of sharing this history!