Contact:
Jenny Smith, Pita Communications
(860) 293-0157, ext. 15; jenny@pitacomm.com
Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
To offer Thanksgiving Tours throughout November
Exhibit at the Silas Deane House portrays
Holiday Festivities in Colonial America from November 7 to 29
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (September 3, 2009) –This year, celebrate Thanksgiving traditions throughout the month of November as “Thanksgiving at the Silas Deane House” opens at the Webb- Deane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield from November 7-29. This annual exhibit allows visitors to experience the holiday in 18th-century Connecticut – the first colony to make the holiday an annual observance.
“Thanksgiving at the Silas Deane House” reveals how a prosperous family like the Deanes celebrated the holiday during the 18th century by showing the various activities that took place in the home that day. The front parlor is set up for games and family entertainment; a bountiful holiday feast is being prepared in the kitchen; and the dining room is almost ready for the meal later in the day.
“Thanksgiving combined the celebration of the harvest and the review of individual and community blessing with formal and informal praise and thanks to God, the renewal of family ties and the bonds of friendship with a jolly good time.”
This quote from Jane Nylander’s book Our Own Snug Fireplace is an accurate description of how Puritan New England families revered the Thanksgiving holiday. Since they did not celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving was one of the most important holidays in Colonial America.
WHAT: “Thanksgiving at the Silas Deane House,” an annual exhibit at the
Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum that portrays the holiday in Colonial
America.
WHERE: Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, Conn. 06109
WHEN: November 7-29
Sat. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun. 1 to 4 p.m. The museum will also be open
the day after Thanksgiving from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last full-hour
tour takes place at 3 p.m.
COST: Three-house tours cost $8 for adults, $7 for seniors over 60,AAA
members and those active in the military and $4 for students and
children ages 5 to 18. $20 per family (two adults and children).
About the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
Located in the heart of Connecticut’s largest historic district, the museum, which consists of three authentically restored 18th-century homes, brings Wethersfield’s rich history to life, from the American Revolution to the early 20th century. The museum includes the 1752 Joseph Webb House, which served as George Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters in May 1781, when he met with French General le conte de Rochambeau; the 1766 Silas Deane House, built for America’s first diplomat to France; and the 1788 Isaac Stevens House, which depicts life in the 18th and 19th centuries through original family objects and includes a new children’s museum.
The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, located at 211 Main St., Wethersfield, is open daily – with the exception of Tuesday – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., May through October, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., November 1 through April 30. Three-house tours cost $8 for adults and $4 for students and children ages 5 to 18. For information about current exhibits, upcoming events or Museum School classes, call (860) 529-0612 or visit www.webb-deane-stevens.org.
###