Historic Whitehall Estate In Peru, Indiana. Childhood Estate of Cole Porter’s Mother
Whitehall Estste History - 1850 to 2023
Kate Cole - Socialite Daughter of Indiana’s Richest Man
Kate Cole - Socialite Daughter of Indiana’s Richest Man
Kate Cole - Socialite Daughter of Indiana’s Richest Man
Porter was born in Peru, Indiana, the only surviving child of a wealthy family. His father, Samuel Fenwick Porter, was a druggist by trade. His mother, Kate Cole, was the indulged socialite daughter of James Omar "J. O." Cole, "the richest man in Indiana", a coal and timber speculator who dominated the family. Kate grew up in Whitehall Eatate for the first half of her life until marriage, when her wealthy father, J. O. Cole, built the couple a house on his Peru-area property, known as Westleigh Farms.[7] After high school, Porter returned to his childhood home only for occasional visits.[8]
Porter's strong-willed mother doted on him[9]and began his musical training at an early age. He learned the violin at age six, the piano at eight, and wrote his first operetta (with help from his mother) at ten. She falsified his recorded birth year, changing it from 1891 to 1893 to make him appear more precocious.[5] His father, a shy and unassertive man, played a lesser role in Porter's upbringing, although as an amateur poet, he may have influenced his son's gifts for rhyme and meter.[3] Porter's father was also a talented singer and pianist, but the father-son relationship was not close.[9]
Whitehall Estate Details
Kate Cole - Socialite Daughter of Indiana’s Richest Man
Kate Cole - Socialite Daughter of Indiana’s Richest Man
While at one time sitting on many hundreds of acres, the current estate sits on 3.7 acres of manicured lawns with the original stone wall and planned gardens still professionally maintained. Some of these perinnial plants are over 125 years old and still bloom magnific every spring and summer. We are lucky enough to still have the original hand drawn blueprints and master garden plans in our possession. While the main home has had a 2,000 square foot addition in the 1950’s, the original charm and character is still present. The original entry hall, dining room, main tower, courtyard, and original fireplaces are still pristine with the dining rooms sister fireplace in the Miami County Museum. Only two of these were ever handcrafted and we are lucky enough to possess one of them. They truly do not build Estates like this anymore.
The Leggett Family
Current Photos of Whitehall Estate
Current Photos of Whitehall Estate
Jeremy and Justin Leggett (and their beloved pets Toki and Dexter), have called Whitehall Estate home for the past 4 years. The Leggetts are world travelers and love historical homes, history, architecture, and decorating. They are both medical professionals and college educated and love restoring Whitehall Estste while researching the history. While not from Miami County, they consider this their new adopted home. While not traveling the world, they enjoy restoring the home, cooking, going for walks and visiting family.
Current Photos of Whitehall Estate
Current Photos of Whitehall Estate
Current Photos of Whitehall Estate
While it would have been ideal to keep the original estate untouched, this would not be practical with modern living. The additions and remodeling that has taken place has been done with the utmost care to maintain the historical integrity of the home while allowing modern living. The current design scheme is luxury Grench Country and all efforts have been made to keep all original features. We consider this home a member of the family and feel honored to be the current owners and take great pride in living in this historical estste.