Mamah Borthwick Cheney, an extraordinary Boone character

Born into what would seem a fairly normal life in Boone, in 1869, the daughter of a railroad man, Mary “Mamah” Borthwick would go on to live an extraordinary whirlwind one.

Marcus Smith Borthwick and his wife Almira Bowcock became residents of Boone sometime before 1862, according to the 1870 census, where Marcus worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. In 1868 when Mamah, the youngest of four siblings, was still a small child, her father Marcus was promoted to Superintendent of the Repair Department and the family moved to Chicago.

After attending college at the University of Michigan, Mamah married a successful electrical engineer, Edwin Cheney of Oak Park, Ill., and the couple had two children, John and Martha. It was not until she met Catherine, wife of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, through a social club that her life began to drastically change.

Wright was one of the most famous architects of the time. His career had begun with the well-known firm of Adler and Sullivan, where after having taken several secret personal commissions, Wright struck out on his own. He even declined an offer from Daniel Burnham, director of the design of the World’s Columbian Exposition, to finance a four year formal education and a guaranteed position with his firm upon return.

The Cheneys and the Wrights became friends and in 1903 Edwin commissioned a custom home from the inspiring architect, a decision which would eventually end in catastrophe. The couples had become close and much to their spouses’ surprise, in 1909 Mamah and Frank both left their respective families and took what they called a “spiritual hegira” through Europe for a year.

The event was scandalous. That two people so beholden in the public’s eye should be so open about their closeness was unheard of, especially when both were still married.

Europe proved productive for the couple who settled in Italy for a brief stint. Wright published a two-volume portfolio of his work titled, “Studies and Executed Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright” in 1911 with a Berlin publisher. During this same time, Mamah had translated from Swedish into English and published the feminist work, “The Morality of Woman,” by Ellen Key.

1911 also saw the beginning of construction on Wright’s Taliesen East in Spring Green, Wis. The couple would soon move to the home, an escape for them from the still rampant publicity of their affair and Mamah’s divorce from Edwin. Wright’s wife, Catherine, would deny him an official divorce until 1922.

Even there the couple could not fully escape the public’s scrutiny. The editor of the local newspaper condemned Wright for bringing scandal to the little village. The growing saga would in fact affect Wright’s career for several years to come as he would not receive his next major commission until the Imperial Hotel in 1916.

In August of 1914, while Wright was away working in Chicago, Mamah was at home in Taliesen with her two children. Their servant, Julian Carlton from Barbados, laid out a meal for the family as well as several of Wright’s staff. After locking all of the doors, Carlton set fire to the structure and used an axe to kill any who tried to escape.

Those murdered included Mamah, her children John and Martha, a gardener, draftsman Emil Brodelle, as well as a workman and his son. Only three people survived the ordeal, including Carlton himself who had attempted to commit suicide by swallowing hydrochloric acid. He ended up dying several weeks later of starvation, despite medical attention, in the Dodgeville Jail.

Wright was devastated but went on to live a long and successful life. His career realized several structures in Iowa including two that are currently open for tours, Cedar Rock near Independence and the now Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City.

A fictionalized history of Mamah Borthwick Cheney and her affair with famed Frank Lloyd Wright can be read in author Nancy Horan’s “Loving Frank.” A very quick and fascinating read for anybody wanting to learn more about Mamah, though any information about her childhood life in Boone is very brief.