From the Tub Room to the Smoking Room and Back Again by Charisse Gendron
Shedding Light on the Mansion’s Servants and the Irish Connection
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in servant life at the Mansion. Last fall, our Celtic Storytelling programming included traditional Irish tales that the house’s servants might have delighted in around late October. This May, we look forward to opening a new space in the Mansion to…
Conservation Update: Pulling the Rug Out from Under Us!
Partnering with Students to Expand the Mansion’s Educational Offerings
In 2013, Victoria Mansion launched a school program for elementary school learners entitled A Century of Change. This program, allowing teachers to choose from 8 topics to tailor a lesson and visit for their students, has proven to be a successful model. We look to expand this programming, yet…
Conservation Update: Parlor Project Begins in Earnest
‘The Aesthete and the Abolitionist: Ruggles Morse and Emanuel Leutze’ by Charisse Gendron
Remembering Jack Evans
The Mansion lost a very dear long-time friend and supporter in John J. Evans III (Jack), who passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on February 16. Originally from Lancaster, Pa., Jack attended the Lawrenceville School, where he met his future wife of 67 years, Noreen Blakely. Jack…
Conserving the Mansion’s Magnificent Gasoliers
With the excitement of the Christmas season now behind us, Mansion staff shifts focus to the two major conservation projects in the Reception Room and the Parlor. One recent advancement was the re-installation of the Reception Room’s gasolier (originally gas-powered lighting fixture), and the de-installation of the Parlor’s. The Reception…
Conservation Upkeep: The Dining Room Ceiling
While strides are being made in our major projects, we also have smaller upkeep projects in the planning for the off-season. Last conserved and restored in the late 1980’s, some may have noticed the tromp l’oeil decoration on the Dining Room ceiling has exhibited paint loss and flaking…
Love is in the Archives: Details on a Mansion Wedding Rediscovered
As part of a larger project to move and rehouse portions of the Mansion’s archives, Director of Education Stacia Hanscom recently happened upon an article written around 1967 by Maine Historian and long-time friend and supporter of the Mansion, Earle Shettleworth Jr. The short article documents the reminiscence…