Laura and Trenor $23,333 each. After her husband's death in 1915, Lizzie oversaw the house until she died in 1938. Even though her son, Hall Park McCullough, inherited the house, it was her daughter, Elizabeth “Bess” McCullough Johnson, who resided in the house until her death in 1965. None of the remaining descendants resided in the house after Bess's death. John G. McCullough II (Hall Park McCullough's son and Bess's nephew) inherited the house in 1966 and in 1968 offered the property to the Park–McCullough House Association. The "Big House" Trenor Park purchased the land the house sits on in North Bennington, Vermont from his father-in-law, Hiland Hall. The “Big House” was under construction from 1864 to 1865, on a property of almost , and was designed by New York architectural firm Diaper and Dudley. The house was built in the Second Empire style. Over time, the total amount of land owned by the family topped ! It was originally built as a summer cottage/retreat from their New York home. The family occupied the house most likely from May or June to September or October, and occasionally spent the winter holidays at the house. From 1865 through 1965, the house was occupied by four generations of the Hall, Park, and McCullough families. The Park family moved into the “Big House” on December 25, 1865. As the lady of the house, Laura was responsible for purchasing the furnishings in the house. The style of the house borrows from many different styles, including Second Empire and Gothic. The house is quite revolutionary for the time because there was indoor plumbing, hot and cold water, and gas lighting. Because of the hazard the gas machine posed, the Park's insurance was cancelled. Only some of the fixtures were converted to electricity around 1910. Most rooms contained fireplaces which provided heat, but if that was not enough, there was a steam boiler, located in the basement, which heated air and rose to the first and second floors. Diaper and Dudley also designed the Carriage Barn, which was built between 1865 and 1866. It was renovated many years later to make room for automobiles, and included hardwood floors and new partitions. The Park's dog, Abe, occupied the dog house located to the east of the main entrance. It was turned into a play house in its current location, complete with a kitchen (with a wood stove