The George Perkins Marsh Boyhood Home, also known as the Marsh-Billings House, is the architectural centerpiece of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, in Woodstock, Vermont, United States,  The 550 acre estate on which it stands was given by Mary French Rockefeller (the granddaughter of Frederick Billings) and which American philanthropist, businessman, financier, and major conservationist?
George Perkins Marsh Boyhood Home The George Perkins Marsh Boyhood Home, also known as the Marsh-Billings House, is the architectural centerpiece of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, located on Vermont Route 12 in Woodstock, Vermont, United States. The house, built in 1805 and enlarged several times, is historically significant as the boyhood home of George Perkins Marsh (1801–82), an early conservationist, and as the home later in the 19th century of Frederick H. Billings (1823–90), a businessman and philanthropist who was a cofounder of the Northern Pacific Railroad. It is also architecturally significant as a high-quality example of Queen Anne architecture, alterations and enlargements commissioned by Billings and designed by Henry Hudson Holley. The house and its surrounding gardens were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1967. The 550 acre estate on which it stands was given by Mary French Rockefeller (the granddaughter of Frederick Billings) and Laurance Rockefeller to the people of the United States in 1992.
Frederick Layton Frederick Layton (May 18, 1827 – August 16, 1919) was an English-American businessman, philanthropist and art collector. He immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin Territory, with his father in 1843, when the city was still a pioneer village. He played a major role in the creation of Milwaukee’s meat packing industry and established a trans-Atlantic business exporting his meat products to Great Britain. During his lifetime, he made 99 trips across the Atlantic pursuing business interests and collecting fine art in London and the other capitals of Europe. Throughout his life, he consistently donated his money to support local charities and Milwaukee’s art community. In 1888, he built the Layton Art Gallery on the corner of Mason and Jefferson Streets in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of the nation’s earliest single-patron public art galleries. By creating an endowment for the Gallery, and with donations from the Gallery Trustees and friends, Layton was personally able to purchase over 200 works of art for the Gallery before dying at the age of 92. Though the original building of the Layton Art Gallery no longer exists, many of Mr. Layton's purchases comprise the founding, core collection of early European and American art at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The Layton Art Collection Board of Trustees still supports and maintains the historic collection in collaboration with Milwaukee Art Museum staff and volunteers.