The Builders of the Gilded Age
The Fortunes and Philanthropy That Forged America
The Gilded Age was defined not merely by excess, but by daring enterprise. In the smoky foundries and oil yards of Cleveland and across Ohio, pioneers staked everything on emergent industries, reshaping the modern global economy. Beyond the immense wealth lay an unyielding drive that revolutionized commerce and a grand philanthropic vision that built universities, libraries, and civic cornerstones that endure today.
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6 hand-picked stories
Featured story
Alfred Lee Loomis Wall Street Tycoon, Physicist and Hilton Head Owner
Alfred Lee Loomis Wall Street Tycoon, Physicist and Hilton Head Owner Alfred Lee Loomis and his brother-in-law, Landon K.
By Don C. Schueler5 min readInterwar Era · 1930s
Featured story
Oh, Rebekah! Burning through the money!
Rebekah Harkness inherited a Standard Oil fortune from Bill Harkness, then poured millions into ballet, art, Holiday House, and an extravagant life that became legend.
By Don C. Schueler17 min readModern Era · 1940s
Featured story
Belfair Plantation, Bluffton SC
Belfair Plantation Above is Belfair’s “Avenue of the Oaks” with the oak trees planted in the late 1920s when William Moseley Swain owned Belfair.
By Don C. Schueler12 min readGilded Age · 1860s
Featured story
Taylor Swift sings about Bill and Rebekah Harkness in “American Dynasty”
What on earth does the Harkness family have to do with Taylor Swift you ask? William (Bill) Harkness
By Don C. Schueler6 min readModern Era · 1940s
Reader favorites
Most Popular Stories
Based on readership October 12–November 11, 2026.
Most popular story
Palmetto Bluff – Richard Thornton Wilson Jr. & The “Marrying Wilsons”
Palmetto Bluff and the Marrying Wilsons If you’ve recently been to the Bluffton, SC area, you might know about the Palmetto Bluff Development.
By Don C. Schueler6 min readLate Industrial Era · 1900s
Most popular story
Harkness Memorial Presbyterian – Bellevue, Ohio
Bellevue’s historic First Congregational Church aka “Harkness Memorial Presbyterian” is located on Southwest Street next to the Mad River Train Museum.
By Don C. Schueler4 min readGilded Age · 1880s
Most popular story
The Tragic Life of Ida Alice Shourds Flagler: Madness, Money, and a $300 Million Divorce
The Price of Madness: Ida Alice Flagler and the $2 Million Settlement. Ida Alice Flagler was born in 1848 and grew up in Philadelphia.
By Don C. Schueler3 min readGilded Age · 1880s
Most popular story
Bluffton, SC’s Gilded Age Princess
Special thanks to Sydney Whiteside, Library Assistant, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, for her excellent assistance in accessing key resources for this article.
By Don C. Schueler12 min readModern Era · 1940s
Architects of an Era
Topics
Follow the people, places, enterprises, and acts of generosity that shaped an era.
1830–1930
The Flaglers
Standard Oil and the Making of Florida
From foundational partnerships in the North to the railways and hotels that opened Florida’s Atlantic coast, the Flagler story traces an ambitious enterprise and its enduring civic and philanthropic legacy.
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1818–1950
The Harknesses
Quiet Visionaries, Monumental Philanthropy
Understated VC partners behind Standard Oil, the Harkness family channeled industrial wealth into a legacy of giving that helped shape American medicine, education, and the arts.
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1700–1940
The Southern Gilded
Majestic Estates and Lowcountry Preservation
Explore the sporting estates of South Carolina and Georgia, and trace how some Gilded Age retreats became part of a lasting story of land conservation.
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