More about the McKees to add to “Marvelous Cereus History,” and with thanks for Martha.
The McKees of Blithewold were indeed affected by the Depression, Martha explained. They did suffer reversals of a sort. William Leander McKee a “manufacturer” of leather, was forced to sell their Boston residence when business declined. The McKees then moved permanently to Blithewold, a not too shabby address, to be sure, but still a change in circumstances. Further, the McKees had to sell some 35 acres of their beautiful estate. Nevertheless, the parties continued. As they should!
How long that enormous cereus survived, and how many parties it inspired, we do not know. Whether chopped chicken liver was later served instead of caviar, well, that we’ll leave to the archivists to uncover. What lingers in the imagination is the fragrance of 200 blooming cereus blossoms wafting out the greenhouse doors as guests came and went on a warm summer night in 1937, having raised a glass to an exotic plant. A touch of the tropics in prim New England.
Late Night Bloomer 
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