I spent my early morning hours on Saturday reading portions of the Sunday N.Y. Times and the local Connecticut paper. I found two inspirations for this blog.
The first is an article entitled "An Immigrant from France is Welcomed to New York. It's about a 1955 Citroen Traction Avant. Yes an automobile! The personal stories, historical focus, and "noteworthy features" reminded me of the house museum tours that I so love.
With a few changes this could be a description of a house museum.
"The Traction Avant - the name is French for front-wheel drive, has the look of an old time mobsters car. Made from 1934 to 1957, it was quite innovative by prewar standards. While it wasn't the first car with front drive, it popularized the layout in Europe, and its unibody structure was considered advanced."
A similar passage in my blog might read:
Taliesin West - Welsh for Shining Brow- has an an idiosyncratic modern look. Built from 1937 onward, it was quite innovative for its time. While it's not Wright's most famous construction, he designed many of his well known buildings, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, at the compound while living here during the winter months.
And doesn't this part sound like the description of a some kitchen innovation that proved over time to be a poor solution to the problem it was invented to address?
"The hinged windshield opens at the bottom with a push of a lever on the dashboard. It's useful on rainy days when the windshield fogs up. But you get your trousers wet."
Pictures accompanying the article show dashboard instruments with an art deco flair, personalized pillows, and the badge of the French owners club. In house museum language this might be an art deco vase, embroidered sofa pillows, and a portrait of the family patriarch.
The second article of note that morning is from the local paper, a newspaper so bad it shall go unnamed. There was an article on the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed skyscraper that was ever built. The Bartlesville Oklahoma building was once a corporate headquarters but has been transformed into the Price Tower Arts Center and Inn at Price Tower. The 8 upper floors are now an intimate 21-room hotel.
While the journalist's description of the hotel was most intriguing and her claim that Bartlesville has many more "historic museum-mansions" spurred my interest, Oklahoma is quite a distance from CT and it's way down on my list of places to visit. But here's a few web references to file away. You never know.
www.pricetower.org
www.innatpricetower.com
www.visitbartlesville.com
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Caleb Nickerson House
Chatham,MA
Twenty minutes into our hour long trip we turned around and headed in the opposite direction. The busy summer season on the Cape hasn't quite started but the long trek up the Cape to Falmouth on Rt 28 for the second day in a row was more than I could tolerate. And while the destination home has an interesting history it isn't truly a house museum. It's more a mansion for hire, perhaps the perfect spot for a summer wedding. But we're not in the market for that.
We made a u turn, passed our little rental cottage in Harwich and drove on to Chatham, the next town down the Cape. ( For a Jersey girl like me who spent every summer on Long Beach Island, this up Cape - down Cape stuff is counter intuitive.)
The Caleb Nickerson House is on a much quieter section of Rt. 28. Vacationers may be whizzing by on their way somewhere but the usual tourist stops of ice cream, beach umbrellas, salt water taffy and restaurants aren't on this stretch of road.
The house is a full Cape - style early 1800's house with a kitchen ell. In 2002 when the valuable land under it was sold for development the eight room house was bought by the Nickerson Family Association and moved by truck and barge to its current site. Over the years the home had undergone remarkably little
renovation. Probably because it was being used by another newer larger home on the same property as sleeping quarters for grandchildren on overflow summer nights.
Care was taken to move the house as is because dismantling it would then require reconstruction with today's building codes. Certainly in over 200 years there's been more than a few changes.
The crushed sea shell walk to the back door is lined with an herb garden. Many of the herbs selected and planted in a 1800's kitchen garden were based on their medicinal purposes.
The handsome Egyptian Walking Onion plant, a Canadian transplant, caught my eye. It became popular in kitchen gardens in the 1790's. You'll find the tasty bulb at the tips of the stems rather than deep in the earth. Its name is derived from its self propagation technique of dropping bulbs into the soil that begin to root and form a new plant.
Our well informed guide pointed out many features of an early 19th century home unfamiliar to us.
* Two early convection type ovens were used at the fireplace hearth. The heat from the fireplace slowly cooked the contents. The first one, a simple box, was used for cookies and the second with multiple spiky hooks for quail or other small birds.
* At the base of the front door there is a weather sill. While constructed with the same wooden floor boards it is raised slightly fro
m the regular flooring and forms an arc. It's purpose is to collect the melting sleet and snow from the visitor's soles. The resulting water then drains through small holes to the sand below the house.
*The youngest volunteer guide is watering the garden with an authentic pottery watering can from the era.
We were warmly encouraged to return in January when the yearly beehive oven bake off is held. Sounds yummy but we plan to return to the Cape in early fall when the weather's still glorious and the crowds have gone home. I'm writing a note to myself now to stop first up the Cape in Falmouth. (Doesn't sound right does it? Maybe its down the Cape?)
Twenty minutes into our hour long trip we turned around and headed in the opposite direction. The busy summer season on the Cape hasn't quite started but the long trek up the Cape to Falmouth on Rt 28 for the second day in a row was more than I could tolerate. And while the destination home has an interesting history it isn't truly a house museum. It's more a mansion for hire, perhaps the perfect spot for a summer wedding. But we're not in the market for that.
We made a u turn, passed our little rental cottage in Harwich and drove on to Chatham, the next town down the Cape. ( For a Jersey girl like me who spent every summer on Long Beach Island, this up Cape - down Cape stuff is counter intuitive.)
The Caleb Nickerson House is on a much quieter section of Rt. 28. Vacationers may be whizzing by on their way somewhere but the usual tourist stops of ice cream, beach umbrellas, salt water taffy and restaurants aren't on this stretch of road.
The house is a full Cape - style early 1800's house with a kitchen ell. In 2002 when the valuable land under it was sold for development the eight room house was bought by the Nickerson Family Association and moved by truck and barge to its current site. Over the years the home had undergone remarkably little
renovation. Probably because it was being used by another newer larger home on the same property as sleeping quarters for grandchildren on overflow summer nights.Care was taken to move the house as is because dismantling it would then require reconstruction with today's building codes. Certainly in over 200 years there's been more than a few changes.
The crushed sea shell walk to the back door is lined with an herb garden. Many of the herbs selected and planted in a 1800's kitchen garden were based on their medicinal purposes.
The handsome Egyptian Walking Onion plant, a Canadian transplant, caught my eye. It became popular in kitchen gardens in the 1790's. You'll find the tasty bulb at the tips of the stems rather than deep in the earth. Its name is derived from its self propagation technique of dropping bulbs into the soil that begin to root and form a new plant.
Our well informed guide pointed out many features of an early 19th century home unfamiliar to us.
* Two early convection type ovens were used at the fireplace hearth. The heat from the fireplace slowly cooked the contents. The first one, a simple box, was used for cookies and the second with multiple spiky hooks for quail or other small birds.* At the base of the front door there is a weather sill. While constructed with the same wooden floor boards it is raised slightly fro
m the regular flooring and forms an arc. It's purpose is to collect the melting sleet and snow from the visitor's soles. The resulting water then drains through small holes to the sand below the house.
*The youngest volunteer guide is watering the garden with an authentic pottery watering can from the era.
We were warmly encouraged to return in January when the yearly beehive oven bake off is held. Sounds yummy but we plan to return to the Cape in early fall when the weather's still glorious and the crowds have gone home. I'm writing a note to myself now to stop first up the Cape in Falmouth. (Doesn't sound right does it? Maybe its down the Cape?)
Monday, January 3, 2011
At Home With house Museums of London
I've found another lover of house museums!! For sure there's more than the two of us but we're not well organized, not vocal, and certainly not as common as streetlights. (Keep reading to unravel this strange analogy.)
A recent Sunday NY Times (Jan 2, 2011) had a wonderful full page article on the many house museums of London. Four are featured and examined fully by the author Andrew Ferran. All four sound fascinating and without a doubt on my list of places to visit the next time I'm in London.
The most intriguing line in the article, the one that makes me giddy and ready to pack my bags is "House museums are to London what streetlights are to most other cities, which is to say everywhere." Think of all those house tours!
While I loved reading the article I wasn't immediately aware that I'd bumped into another lover of house museums but some vague familiarity about the article sent me back to my files. The London article reminded me of a newspaper clipping I had saved in my Washington DC House museum file. I pulled it out for another look.
It's a Feb.1,2009 article entitled "It's Home Sweet Museum in Washington". Maybe you remember it? And the author is the same Andrew Ferran. Read the articles. You'll feel his interest and love of the homes and his joy in sharing them with you. Then you can add another 14 to your list of homes to tour. When spring arrives we'll be ready with our lists of "must sees" for 2011.
A recent Sunday NY Times (Jan 2, 2011) had a wonderful full page article on the many house museums of London. Four are featured and examined fully by the author Andrew Ferran. All four sound fascinating and without a doubt on my list of places to visit the next time I'm in London.
The most intriguing line in the article, the one that makes me giddy and ready to pack my bags is "House museums are to London what streetlights are to most other cities, which is to say everywhere." Think of all those house tours!
While I loved reading the article I wasn't immediately aware that I'd bumped into another lover of house museums but some vague familiarity about the article sent me back to my files. The London article reminded me of a newspaper clipping I had saved in my Washington DC House museum file. I pulled it out for another look.
It's a Feb.1,2009 article entitled "It's Home Sweet Museum in Washington". Maybe you remember it? And the author is the same Andrew Ferran. Read the articles. You'll feel his interest and love of the homes and his joy in sharing them with you. Then you can add another 14 to your list of homes to tour. When spring arrives we'll be ready with our lists of "must sees" for 2011.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Strawberry Banke Museum
Portsmouth,NH
Ever heard the term "living history museum"? Colonial Williamsburg, Old Sturbridge Village,and Plimouth Plantation - They're all living history museums (LHM). And so is Strawberry Bank Museum.
A LHM is defined as special type of open air museum. "An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as skansen, museums of buildings and folk museums. Living museums, also known as living farm museums and living history museums, are a special type of open-air museum where costumed interpreters portray period life in an earlier era. The interpreters act as if they are really living in a different time and place, such as the Colonial era, and perform everyday household tasks, crafts and businesses. The goal is to demonstrate older lifestyles to modern audiences." (Open Air Museums -Wikipedia)
Well back to Strawberry Bank. It's way way smaller than Colonial Williamsburg and smaller than Old Sturbridge Village. But still with 42 houses on 10 acres, there's plenty to see.
In 1950's and 60's The neighborhood formerly known as Puddle Dock was a dilapidated area slated for the urban renewal wrecking ball until a town librarian spearheaded a plan to save the area and turn it into a museum. Our tour guide credited this successful venture as a foundation in the renewal of the city of Portsmouth,NH.
Highlights of the tour for me included the Shapiro House, described in this NY Times Sept 15, 2009 article "Rosh Hashana,Circa 1919 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/dining/16rosh.html?_r=1&em.
Also the Shapley -Drisco House is a fascinating juxtaposition of the use of this house in 1795 and then in 1955. If you're a baby boomer you'll find the 1955 living room and kitchen full of familiar objects.
And then there's the World War II era corner store. That's always a captivating stop. It's fun to look through all the products and identify those that are still around.
I'm going to take a stand on the controversy of costumed interpreters. I don't remember their performances well enough at most of the living history museums that I've visited but Strawberry Banke is fresh in my mind and for the most part I felt engaged and entertained. In the hands of a less skillful and committed actor they can come across as a member of the Disney staff but the three I encountered in S.B. were adept at drawing you into their world. How do you feel about them?
Inside a garage building were these pictures of World War II posters. What's with the "Save waste fats for explosives. Take them to your meat dealer."? I'd like to learn more about that! And I found the list of ways that you could help the war effort to be fascinating. It's hard to image people rallying around these simple purposeful patriotic actions today. Maybe you can't read the last one well. With my conservation mentality I like the saying: "I'll carry mine too! Trucks and tires must last till victory."
Ever heard the term "living history museum"? Colonial Williamsburg, Old Sturbridge Village,and Plimouth Plantation - They're all living history museums (LHM). And so is Strawberry Bank Museum.
A LHM is defined as special type of open air museum. "An open-air museum is a distinct type of museum exhibiting its collections out-of-doors. The first open-air museums were established in Scandinavia towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the concept soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Open-air museums are variously known as skansen, museums of buildings and folk museums. Living museums, also known as living farm museums and living history museums, are a special type of open-air museum where costumed interpreters portray period life in an earlier era. The interpreters act as if they are really living in a different time and place, such as the Colonial era, and perform everyday household tasks, crafts and businesses. The goal is to demonstrate older lifestyles to modern audiences." (Open Air Museums -Wikipedia)
Well back to Strawberry Bank. It's way way smaller than Colonial Williamsburg and smaller than Old Sturbridge Village. But still with 42 houses on 10 acres, there's plenty to see.
In 1950's and 60's The neighborhood formerly known as Puddle Dock was a dilapidated area slated for the urban renewal wrecking ball until a town librarian spearheaded a plan to save the area and turn it into a museum. Our tour guide credited this successful venture as a foundation in the renewal of the city of Portsmouth,NH.
Highlights of the tour for me included the Shapiro House, described in this NY Times Sept 15, 2009 article "Rosh Hashana,Circa 1919 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/dining/16rosh.html?_r=1&em.
Also the Shapley -Drisco House is a fascinating juxtaposition of the use of this house in 1795 and then in 1955. If you're a baby boomer you'll find the 1955 living room and kitchen full of familiar objects.
And then there's the World War II era corner store. That's always a captivating stop. It's fun to look through all the products and identify those that are still around.
I'm going to take a stand on the controversy of costumed interpreters. I don't remember their performances well enough at most of the living history museums that I've visited but Strawberry Banke is fresh in my mind and for the most part I felt engaged and entertained. In the hands of a less skillful and committed actor they can come across as a member of the Disney staff but the three I encountered in S.B. were adept at drawing you into their world. How do you feel about them?
Inside a garage building were these pictures of World War II posters. What's with the "Save waste fats for explosives. Take them to your meat dealer."? I'd like to learn more about that! And I found the list of ways that you could help the war effort to be fascinating. It's hard to image people rallying around these simple purposeful patriotic actions today. Maybe you can't read the last one well. With my conservation mentality I like the saying: "I'll carry mine too! Trucks and tires must last till victory."
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Victoria Mansion
Portland,Me True to my word, I revisited Maine this summer and did explore some of the promising house museums I missed last summer. In fact the Victoria Mansion was for me the real draw back to the area.
Most of the homes I visit are not exceptionally well known. I become aware of them through newspaper articles, on-line research and occasionally in a guide book. The Victoria Mansion was the exception to this. I first saw it as one of two Maine homes listed in the National Geographic Guide to America's Great Houses-More Than 150 Outstanding Mansions Open to the Public. It's also listed by Trip Advisor as the fifth most popular thing to do in Portland. Pretty unusual for a house museum.
It's referred to as the finest example of Italian villa-style architecture from the pre-Civil War era in America. The sumptuous interior was designed by Gustave Herter, one of the countries first interior designers. With more than 90% of its original contents, its the only Herter commission intact today.
The most amazing fact I learned on the tour was that the home built for Ruggles Sylvester Morse and his wife Olive was occupied for only 2 to 3 weeks in the summer. The rest of the year they spent in their New Orleans luxury hotel. Yet even with such a short occupancy history the tour guide was able to convey how the family used this as a home.
Our guide admonished us several times not to lean up against anything. And then made a cryptic comment to be explained later " not everything is what it seems." For instance in the dining room we admired the impressive chestnut woodwork. But it wasn't wood at all but trompe l'oeil on plaster and now in a very delicate state.
Ruggles has an interesting history. He grew up poor on the outskirts of Portland and moved to Boston, New York and later New Orleans making his fortune in the hotel industry. In 1860 the Portland house was nearly complete but because of the Civil War and the Morse's support of Robert E Lee the family was unable to return to Maine until the wars end in 1865.
The exterior of the home is Portland brownstone, a product I'm familiar with as its from the Connecticut community adjoining Middletown. And of course Middletown is home to Wesleyan University, my daughters alma mater.
Like many beautiful mansions of historical significance this home was close to demolition until it was saved by an inspired admirer. In 1940 William Holmes, a retired educator, purchased the home and established it as a museum. Today it is a designated National Historic Landmark.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
Manhattan, New York
Ever have a curiosity itch that you just have to scratch? You leave a movie and can't go to sleep until you remember the name of that actor and what other movies he's been in or you hear Brian Williams' introduction on the NBC Nightly News and know you've heard that voice before but can't rest until you've researched it and found out it's Michael Douglas.
One of my favorite things about house museums is how you are exposed to an idea, a philosophy, a person, or a historical occurrence and it sparks a question that you just have to have answered - a curiosity itch. One historic home can ignite hours of research on numerous topics.
For me the birthplace and home of Theodore Roosevelt did just that. After my visit I watched a 4 hour PBS series on his life; searched the web for more information on his irrepressible daughter Alice; and researched other house museums within the city of New York.
The Union Square home is easy to find and the tour and exhibits offered a rich background in the man and his philosophy.
And on the big plus side - I bought my first coloring book since childhood. Historic Houses of New York State includes sketches of 43 homes with a short introduction that focus's on the home owner's life and/or architectural points of interest.
From a coloring book's perspective here's what's of note. "This typical four-story brownstone, the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt, is located on what was a quiet,tree-lined street in New York's most fashionable residential district. After the family moved in 1872, the house was eventually taken over for business purposes and was completely demolished in 1916. After Theodore Roosevelt's death in 1919, the site was purchased and the original house reconstructed as a memorial. This was America's first Victorian reconstruction and is now a National Historic Site."
I should find my crayons and color this in but with my curiosity itch scratched I think I'll just move on.
Ever have a curiosity itch that you just have to scratch? You leave a movie and can't go to sleep until you remember the name of that actor and what other movies he's been in or you hear Brian Williams' introduction on the NBC Nightly News and know you've heard that voice before but can't rest until you've researched it and found out it's Michael Douglas.
One of my favorite things about house museums is how you are exposed to an idea, a philosophy, a person, or a historical occurrence and it sparks a question that you just have to have answered - a curiosity itch. One historic home can ignite hours of research on numerous topics.
For me the birthplace and home of Theodore Roosevelt did just that. After my visit I watched a 4 hour PBS series on his life; searched the web for more information on his irrepressible daughter Alice; and researched other house museums within the city of New York.
The Union Square home is easy to find and the tour and exhibits offered a rich background in the man and his philosophy.
And on the big plus side - I bought my first coloring book since childhood. Historic Houses of New York State includes sketches of 43 homes with a short introduction that focus's on the home owner's life and/or architectural points of interest.
From a coloring book's perspective here's what's of note. "This typical four-story brownstone, the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt, is located on what was a quiet,tree-lined street in New York's most fashionable residential district. After the family moved in 1872, the house was eventually taken over for business purposes and was completely demolished in 1916. After Theodore Roosevelt's death in 1919, the site was purchased and the original house reconstructed as a memorial. This was America's first Victorian reconstruction and is now a National Historic Site."
I should find my crayons and color this in but with my curiosity itch scratched I think I'll just move on.
Joshua L Chamberlain Museum & Skofield-Whittier House
Brunswick,ME
This post is almost exactly a year old. It's been a hell of a year. Both good and bad and so much of it momentous. This is my second start of At Home With House Museums. So here's to a new year with abundant home touring and exploring history.
Taking a family vacation offers an opportunity to see house museums further from home. Our family vacation to coastal Maine offered an unusual number of homes to tour. But as this was our first trip to Maine, our attention was diverted and we sampled from the wide variety of activities and sights that the area offered.
We stayed in Harpswell, a cute little rural coastal community just outside of Brunswick. In Brunswick we were drawn to the partially restored home of Joshua L Chamberlain (1828-1914), a civil war hero, Bowdoin College president and Maine Governor. Sorry to say that the tour just didn't come to life for any of us. Could have been that it just dragged on too long or that there just wasn't enough there to feel it was a "home" to anyone or that little was said about the man or his family to bring them to life. Actually all that rings true.
One set of family pictures hanging on the wall did spark an interesting family discussion. The group of 8x10 photographs from the early 1900's showed a toddler - a girl I was sure. No it was a cute little boy in a dress with hair almost down to his shoulders. A little google research lead to an explanation. In the 1800's children were under the care solely of their mothers and in their early years were not subjected to "strict gender boundaries." Grant, Julia, 1953- A "Real Boy" and not a Sissy: Gender, Childhood, and Masculinity, 1890-1940 Journal of Social History - Volume 37, Number 4, Summer 2004, pp. 829-851.
The Skolfield-Whittier House just across the street and up the green a few blocks was decidedly more fun. The owners of this home verged on a compulsive hoarding disorder. The home is often "described as a time capsule with the complete possessions of three generations." And everything is labeled! The last resident, Dr Alice Whittier, was Maine's first pediatrician.
The home is one half of a brick Italianate duplex built in 1858 by a ship captain for his 2 sons. Today the other half of the duplex is the Pejepscott Museum, a museum of local history.
What didn't we see? Well a lot. We drove up through New Hampshire where in Portsmouth there's an entire historic neighborhood, Strawberry Bank. But with the car loaded with vacation gear and an 8 hour trip we put off the stop for another time.
In Portland, Maine the Victorian Preservation Association website, www.vpa.org lists 4 historic house museums. That's too many to see in a day so I narrowed it down to the Victoria Mansion, an Italianate Villa. We were,however, lured to the many boutique shops and wonderful restaurants and didn't see any of the house museums. But based on a wonderful leisurely lunch I can highly recommend the Salt Exchange.
Next trip we'll not only stop in Strawberry Bank, NH and tour several homes in Portland but will also do the self-guided walking and driving tours of the city of Bath.
This post is almost exactly a year old. It's been a hell of a year. Both good and bad and so much of it momentous. This is my second start of At Home With House Museums. So here's to a new year with abundant home touring and exploring history.
Taking a family vacation offers an opportunity to see house museums further from home. Our family vacation to coastal Maine offered an unusual number of homes to tour. But as this was our first trip to Maine, our attention was diverted and we sampled from the wide variety of activities and sights that the area offered.
We stayed in Harpswell, a cute little rural coastal community just outside of Brunswick. In Brunswick we were drawn to the partially restored home of Joshua L Chamberlain (1828-1914), a civil war hero, Bowdoin College president and Maine Governor. Sorry to say that the tour just didn't come to life for any of us. Could have been that it just dragged on too long or that there just wasn't enough there to feel it was a "home" to anyone or that little was said about the man or his family to bring them to life. Actually all that rings true.
One set of family pictures hanging on the wall did spark an interesting family discussion. The group of 8x10 photographs from the early 1900's showed a toddler - a girl I was sure. No it was a cute little boy in a dress with hair almost down to his shoulders. A little google research lead to an explanation. In the 1800's children were under the care solely of their mothers and in their early years were not subjected to "strict gender boundaries." Grant, Julia, 1953- A "Real Boy" and not a Sissy: Gender, Childhood, and Masculinity, 1890-1940 Journal of Social History - Volume 37, Number 4, Summer 2004, pp. 829-851.
The Skolfield-Whittier House just across the street and up the green a few blocks was decidedly more fun. The owners of this home verged on a compulsive hoarding disorder. The home is often "described as a time capsule with the complete possessions of three generations." And everything is labeled! The last resident, Dr Alice Whittier, was Maine's first pediatrician.The home is one half of a brick Italianate duplex built in 1858 by a ship captain for his 2 sons. Today the other half of the duplex is the Pejepscott Museum, a museum of local history.
What didn't we see? Well a lot. We drove up through New Hampshire where in Portsmouth there's an entire historic neighborhood, Strawberry Bank. But with the car loaded with vacation gear and an 8 hour trip we put off the stop for another time.
In Portland, Maine the Victorian Preservation Association website, www.vpa.org lists 4 historic house museums. That's too many to see in a day so I narrowed it down to the Victoria Mansion, an Italianate Villa. We were,however, lured to the many boutique shops and wonderful restaurants and didn't see any of the house museums. But based on a wonderful leisurely lunch I can highly recommend the Salt Exchange.
Next trip we'll not only stop in Strawberry Bank, NH and tour several homes in Portland but will also do the self-guided walking and driving tours of the city of Bath.
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