On July 24, the Mansion welcomed Libby descendant Mary Marcell–and with her came some precious cargo indeed.
Mary arrived with four wine glasses, four cordial glasses, two pot de crème, and a soup bowl, all original to the Morse table service. She also brought a needlepoint sampler, silver nut dish, silver hand mirror and powder jar, all belonging to Mary Louise Libby (later Chamberlain). Mary Louise (1874-1971) was the middle daughter of the house’s second owners, J.R. and Louisa Libby, and resided in the Mansion from 1894 until her marriage (in the Mansion’s Parlor, no less!) to Arthur Chamberlain in 1899.
Marcell, Mary Louise’s great-granddaughter and namesake, had contacted the Mansion in early summer 2019 with news she intended to return several Morse and Libby-era items to the Mansion’s collections inherited from her mother, Susan. Susan Marcell, who passed away in Virginia in November of 2017, was Mary Louise Libby Chamberlain’s granddaughter.
These remarkable items are coming to the Mansion on indefinite, long-term loan thanks to Mary and her family’s generosity. We are so grateful for their kindness and look forward to displaying these pieces for all to see soon.
