Growing up at Meadow Brook Hall was especially fun during the hot summer months, when the Dodge and Wilsons – and their family, friends and staff – cooled off with a splash in their pool on the estate.
During the summer months, the Dodge and Wilsons cooled off with a splash in their peanut-shaped pool on the estate.
Built around 1936 and nicknamed the “peanut pool,” the space was an oasis and Matilda’s favorite place on the estate. It featured extensive landscaping filled with birch trees, Chinese juniper, and honeysuckle, along with slate pavers, a garden wall, and a sparkling stone waterfall.
Watch the video below to see the family play at the Peanut Pool, featuring a moment where Alfred steals a kiss from Matilda, scenes with Richard and Barbara from the summer they were 10 and Frances as an adult with her young daughter Judy.
As a young socialite at age 22, Frances famously hosted a 5 a.m. pool party for her friends after a film premiere in Detroit. She even had bathing suits imported from France–specially selected to complement each guest’s hair color.
The pool was a gathering place for the family and their staff and was also important to the community: Matilda hosted swim lessons for women employed at Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company as she had never learned to swim.
Rochester Boy Scout troops were given weekly access to the pools to learn to swim; and after Matilda Wilson’s death, the peanut pool was used by OU faculty and their employees.
Unfortunately, the Peanut Pool fell into disrepair over the years and was removed.
Watch the Home Video of the Dodge & Wilsons at the Peanut Pool
Watch the video below to see the family play at the Peanut Pool, featuring a moment where Alfred steals a kiss from Matilda, scenes with Richard and Barbara from the summer they were 10, and Frances, as an adult, playing with her young daughter Judy.
Be captivated by the people, places and tales that make Meadow Brook Hall so remarkable. Our Estate Stories series unlocks the vaults, dives into the archives and seeks out tales of the Great Estate to pique your interest and enrich your life.
