Stepping Stones (home)
Encyclopedia
Stepping Stones is the historic home of Alcoholics Anonymous
co-founder Bill W.
and his wife Lois Burnham Wilson
, founder of Al-Anon/Alateen
, in Bedford Hills, New York
. It is a Colonial Revival
structure built in 1920.
The house at 62 Oak Road, Katonah, New York
is on the state and National Register of Historic Places listings in Westchester County, New York. It is open for tours by appointment since 1988 after the death of Mrs. Wilson. An estimated 90 percent of visitors to the house are members of a 12 Step group.
The New York Times quoted the executive director:
The desk on which Bill wrote Alcoholics Anonymous ("The Big Book
", the principal text of AA) resides at "Wit's End," the office retreat he built on the property. Bill, after moving to Stepping Stones, wrote three more books at the desk: The 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, As Bill Sees It, and AA Comes of Age.
The famous kitchen table Bill mentions in several accounts of his meeting with Ebby Thacher
at Bill's former home in 182 Clinton Street, Brooklyn
is also on display. Amongst the memorabilia are letter from Carl Jung
to Bill Wilson, and a photograph of President Richard Nixon
, receiving the millionth copy of the Big Book.
Bill died in 1971 and Lois died in 1988. They left no children and the house was turned over to the Stepping Stones Foundation which maintains it and conducts the tours. In 2007, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
, added Stepping Stones to its new Women’s Heritage Trail, in recognition to Lois. Every June, as per a tradition started by Wilsons in 1952, hundreds of A.A. members arrive for the annual AA family groups picnic.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
co-founder Bill W.
Bill W.
William Griffith Wilson , also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous , an international mutual aid fellowship with over two million members belonging to 100,800 groups of alcoholics helping other alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety...
and his wife Lois Burnham Wilson
Lois Wilson (activist)
Lois Wilson was the co-founder of Al-Anon, a support group for the friends and family of alcoholics. She was the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill W....
, founder of Al-Anon/Alateen
Al-Anon/Alateen
Al-Anon/Alateen, known as Al-Anon Family Groups, is an international "fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholicswho share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems." They "help families of alcoholics by practicing the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving...
, in Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Bedford, New York.-History:When the railroad was built in 1847, Bedford Hills was known as Bedford Station. Bedford Hills extends from a business center at the railroad station to farms and estates, eastward along Harris, Babbitt and Bedford...
. It is a Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
structure built in 1920.
The house at 62 Oak Road, Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States.-History:Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists...
is on the state and National Register of Historic Places listings in Westchester County, New York. It is open for tours by appointment since 1988 after the death of Mrs. Wilson. An estimated 90 percent of visitors to the house are members of a 12 Step group.
The New York Times quoted the executive director:
- We always say it’s not a successful tour unless at least one person cries.
History
The Wilsons bought the house on 1.7 acres in 1941 more than five years after Bill W. took his last drink. Lois Wilson later founded Al-Anon there.The desk on which Bill wrote Alcoholics Anonymous ("The Big Book
The Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous)
Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism is a 1939 self-help text on alcoholism, written by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. & Dr. Bob...
", the principal text of AA) resides at "Wit's End," the office retreat he built on the property. Bill, after moving to Stepping Stones, wrote three more books at the desk: The 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, As Bill Sees It, and AA Comes of Age.
The famous kitchen table Bill mentions in several accounts of his meeting with Ebby Thacher
Ebby Thacher
Edwin Throckmorton Thacher , was an old drinking friend and later the sponsor of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson...
at Bill's former home in 182 Clinton Street, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
is also on display. Amongst the memorabilia are letter from Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
to Bill Wilson, and a photograph of President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, receiving the millionth copy of the Big Book.
Bill died in 1971 and Lois died in 1988. They left no children and the house was turned over to the Stepping Stones Foundation which maintains it and conducts the tours. In 2007, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation operates :*168 state parks*35 state historic sites*76 developed beaches*53 water recreational facilities*27 golf courses*39 full service cottages*818 cabins...
, added Stepping Stones to its new Women’s Heritage Trail, in recognition to Lois. Every June, as per a tradition started by Wilsons in 1952, hundreds of A.A. members arrive for the annual AA family groups picnic.