The Take Joy Society Christmas celebration this year was in keeping with our foreign travel theme by lunching at the Schmankerl Stube Bavarian Restaurant in Hagerstown, Maryland. . . .
Our guide told us the fireplace surround and mantel in the back parlor were made from Potomac marble which was also used by Benjamin Latrobe in the construction of the columns in the National Capitol building. . . .
View out the back parlor. . . .
Dining room. . . .
Kitchen. . . .
A bedroom. . . .
Our gift exchange theme was to choose a gift made in a foreign country (China did not count) or one that represented a foreign country. We had Nepal, Germany, Columbia, England, and India . . . .
Our food arrived after we exchanged gifts. . . .
I gave each of the ladies a Susan Branch Keepsake Planner as a thank-you for being a part of our group. . . .
We shared our plans for Christmas and set our next get-together for January 12th at Edie's. She will tell us all about her trip to England last September.
We then toured the Miller House Museum which is located at the Washington County Historical Society. We received a very informative hour-long tour of the circa 1825 house and it's furnishings and exhibits. I've included some here. . . .
Our tour began in the front parlor, decorated for Christmas, which was originally used as by several owner's as their law office. . . .
Victorian Christmas cards. . . .
Our guide told us the fireplace surround and mantel in the back parlor were made from Potomac marble which was also used by Benjamin Latrobe in the construction of the columns in the National Capitol building. . . .
View out the back parlor. . . .
Dining room. . . .
Kitchen. . . .
Sugar was packed into a paper cone for shipping during this time period. A special cutting tool would nip off a lump at a time. The mortar and pestle would have been used to grind it into granules when refined sugar was needed for wedding cakes. Other sweeteners, such as molasses and honey would have been used in everyday baking. . . .
The circular stairs from the first landing looking down to the entrance hall. . . .
A bedroom. . . .
A collection of toys. . . .
There was an extensive collection of 19th-century pottery by John Bell. . . .
This link will tell you of the other collections. The museum also houses a genealogical library.
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Take Joy!
Another lovely tour! Thank you for sharing.
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DeleteWhat a great idea for a Christmas party! Take it "on the road" to an interesting place & not only have fun, but learn something in the bargain. You should've been a teacher, Cathy. Wait, what am I saying? You ARE a teacher. You just have a 'non-traditional' classroom. Germany is a great theme for Christmas too - so many of our American Christmas traditions are German in origin. The food at the Bavarian restaurant looks incredible too. My mother was 100% German on both sides of her family and my cousin Linda & I have been researching our ancestry, off & on now, for years. We have traced our family to Germany and even have had letters & documents translated. Our family isn't from Bavaria though. We come from a smallish city called Bocholt right on the border between Germany & the Netherlands. Anywho--- Bet it was fun seeing all the dolls and period toys etc at the Miller House. My mom & I used to tour historic homes in our area too, and the best time to go was always the holidays! This one is a really beautiful home - just the kind of place I'd love to find & restore. How much fun would THAT be? You know, the National Museum of Play is here in Rochester. It started out as the toy collection of Margaret Woodbury Strong and became an actual museum when she died & left $ to endow the museum, staff & a building. Margaret also collected a lot of everyday objects as well, and the museum has a whole section of what are best described as vintage housewares - VERY interesting - but what basically started out as fun for a child is now a 13-acre museum !!! I took my niece & nephew several times when they were younger. There are a lot of interactive exhibits which really make it enjoyable for even tiny kids - hands-on activities etc. Will Olivia make the trip to see Santa this year? She's right at that age where a lot of little kids want NO PART of a big sort-of scary guy in a bright red suit. Hope you enjoy all the rest of your pre-Christmas activities!! 🎄
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was a National Museum of Play! I will definitely bookmark that in case we are ever up your way. Olivia told me she saw Santa at the playgroup she attends and that he couldn't come to her house because he was too big and might knock over her tree. Their tree had actually mysteriously fallen over soon after they decorated it. Her mom thinks the neighbor's cat may have gotten in the house again when she was bringing the kids in from the car. Ha ha.
DeleteAnother nice outing for your group. I especially liked seeing the old dolls. Such a big collection. Some of them appear to be German. I hope you are enjoying your days leading up to Christmas. ♥
ReplyDeleteThank you Martha Ellen. I am!
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