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Was Silas Deane poisoned?
How did families in the 1800’s mourn their children?
How did Wallace Nutting’s nervous breakdown launch a Colonial craze?
Ghosts of Wethersfield’s past yield their secrets
during Halloween tours at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
October 17
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (September 21, 2009) -– Meet the spirits within three of Connecticut’s most historic homes. Learn the secrets of their inhabitants’ lives and deaths over three centuries during the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum’s ‘Spirits of Old Wethersfield’ Halloween house tours on October 17 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
Guides in capes and lanterns usher you into the Silas Deane House, where the spirit of Continental Congress delegate Silas Deane (enacted by museum guide Sal Carmosino) — who was the United States’ first diplomat — will relate how he was betrayed at the hands of a British counter-spy and died (many say murdered) in 1789.
Within the Isaac Stevens House first floor bed chamber, set up as a sick room, learn how people in the early 1800’s treated illness using early medical techniques. Also learn how families dealt with the death of a loved one at this time. In the home’s front parlor, you will witness how the family mourned the premature death of a child by draping cloths over pictures and stopping the clock at the time of death. During this period, funeral services were held in the home and the deceased was buried in the church yard across the street.
At the Joseph Webb House, Mrs. Wallace Nutting (enacted by museum guide Lisa Sillitto) will talk about how the nervous breakdown of her Congregational minister husband Wallace Nutting led to his career as an antiquarian, photographer, illustrator and art merchant. Nutting, who purchased, renovated and opened the Webb House in 1916 as a sales area and studio, ultimately sold millions of his hand-tinted photo prints of colonial New England scenes.
Visitors will then proceed to the Webb House’s Yorktown Parlor, where several “Nutting girls”, the models from Nutting’s colorized photographs, will spring to life and chat with guests.
Make an evening of it by touring Scarecrows Along Main Street and then enjoy a meal in one of the restaurants in Historic Wethersfield!
WHAT: Spirits of Old Wethersfield House Tours
WHERE: Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield, Conn. 06109
WHEN: Saturday, October 17
TIME: 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tours begin at 6 p.m. from the Webb house gift shop and depart every 30 minutes.
COST: $10 for adults ($8.00 for adult museum members) and $8 for children ($6.00 for youth museum members). Recommended for children 10 and older. A paying adult must accompany children. Reservations are required and payment is non-refundable. Group tours can also be scheduled. Tickets can be purchased at the museum or by calling 860-529-0612. For more information, contact Tari-Lynn Joyce at 860-529-0612 ext. 12 or at tjoyce@webb-deane-stevens.org.
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.
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