History
As the new owner of the house (soon to be a Cambridge , MA historic hotel), Forsythe researched its past. She first learned of the Taylor family when saw the obituary for Dr. Taylor’s daughter, Martha Taylor. She studied Dr. Taylor’s life at Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library, and eventually tracked down one of his friends, Ann Mayvaert. Mayvaert recalled many of Dr. Taylor’s colorful stories, and was able to provide insight into the life of the inn in Cambridge, including long nights by the kitchen stove and visits from Dr. Wilford Grenfell, a family friend famous for his work in Canada.
Forsythe’s research also uncovered a poignant story about the Cambridge, MA historic hotel and its former owner, William A. Saunders Jr., who had fallen on hard times when the Taylors purchased his house. Saunders, who was heavily in debt and subject to arrest if found on public streets during the day, was mourning the recent death of his wife, Mary Prentiss. According to Taylor , Saunders used to visit the house at night and sneak into the garden to pick moss roses his wife had planted years before. Thought Taylor never saw Saunders, his visits were evidenced by the disappearance of the most beautiful rose blooms from the garden. Over the years, the rose garden eventually disappeared from the inn and Boston and Cambridge transformed around it.
