Edna St. Vincent Millay- who wrote 'My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light!' - was one of the most famous poets in America when she moved to her new home, Steepletop, aged 33 in March 1925. As well as the main farmhouse building, the property including hundreds of acres of land and various outbuildings.
Among them was a small outbuilding in a blueberry field which she claimed as her writing cabin, and she worked there - often with her German shepherd, Altair, as a companion - until it burned down in 1928. Rather than give up on the shedworking lifestyle, she simply built another (pictured top) on the hill behind the house.
This was a simple garden office, constructed of unpainted pine boards, and surrounded by white pines planted to commemorate her mother's life, while around the cabin she also planted daffodils. It was modelled on George Bernard Shaw's revolving writing hut in Hertfordshire which she had visited. She wrote inside for three to four hours a day, inspired by the lovely environment around her - during her time at Steepletop she wrote several poetry collections, an opera libretto, and translated Baudelaire’s Fleurs du Mal.
The interior was furnished with a wooden desk and chair, stove, wing chair, and, a nice touch this, a chaise longue. Much of the estate has undergone conservation work by the charity that now runs it, and this includes the cabin which has been kept uncluttered.
Photo by Daniel Case
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